Beneath the Surface
KAIA New York Gallery · 2026
With “Beneath the Surface”, KAIA presents its first collaboration with French architect and designer Pauline Leprince. The collection unfolds as a series of sculptural metal and glass objects that explore the emotional and psychological depths that lie beyond appearances.
Developed through a close dialogue between KAIA and Leprince, the collaboration results in three minimalist pieces — a console, a mirror, and a lamp. Conceived as points of tension between the individual and society, the works question what exists beneath the visible surface: the hidden fractures, vulnerabilities, and silent forces shaping contemporary life.
At the center of the collection is a deliberate transformation of material. Burnt metal, subjected to fire, undergoes an irreversible metamorphosis. The act of burning is not an aesthetic gesture but a decisive intervention: fire inscribes itself into the surface, leaving the material marked, scarred, and permanently altered. The metal becomes a vessel for memory and trace — an embodiment of the invisible tensions and inner fractures that run through modern society.
In contrast, glass introduces fragility and transparency. It allows light to pass through while carrying the constant potential of rupture, evoking the delicate threshold between exposure and vulnerability. Within the pieces, glass does not seek purity but revelation — a material that both reveals and threatens to break.
UNDER THE SURFACE
CONSOLE
The console embodies the collection’s central gesture: the transformation of metal through fire. Its surface bears the visible marks of burning, an irreversible process that inscribes the material with depth, texture, and memory. Rather than concealing these traces, the piece allows them to remain present, turning the console into a sculptural object that reflects the tension between permanence and fragility. Paired with glass elements, the work balances strength with delicacy, inviting a closer contemplation of material and form.
DISARMED
MIRROR
Within the collection, the mirror moves beyond its traditional function. Framed by burnt metal and paired with fragile glass, it stages a direct encounter between the object and its viewer. Reflection becomes an act of awareness, shaped by both personal perception and the presence of the surrounding world. The mirror thus explores identity as something layered and fluid, revealing how surfaces — whether material or human — often conceal deeper complexities beneath them.
AXIS
TABLE LIGHT
The table lamp translates the collection’s material language into light. Burnt metal forms a tactile structure that bears the imprint of fire, while glass diffuses illumination with quiet transparency. As light passes through the fragile surface, it reveals subtle variations in texture and tone, emphasizing the dialogue between solidity and delicacy. The lamp becomes both functional object and sculptural presence, where light emerges not in spite of the material’s transformation, but through it.
Photos by Matthew Gordon