New unique art show from Ron Arad featuring Steinmetz Diamonds

The art world will never go `stale`, such is the level of creativeness of artists – this is a given, but what can often surprise is the level of creativeness (unmade beds, formaldehyde cows…).

There is a new unique art show by Ron Arad that fits in the `wow` category, for both its use of technology and simplicity.

Steinmetz Diamonds recently commissioned Ron Arad to create an art project. The brand is best known for crafting some of the world’s rarest diamonds including the De Beers Millennium Star (203 carat flawless) & the Steinmetz Pink (59.60 carat) amongst others and notably through their retail joint-venture Sotheby’s Diamonds.

Ron Arad has created the Last Train; an experiment with diamonds in a totally unique way and uses them to re-imagine the artist`s toolkit.

In short, a cast of Arad`s fist, controlled by a mechanical arm is guided remotely by an iPad app. As the artist draws on the iPad, the fist bearing a bold Steinmetz diamond ring etches upon the glass. Diamonds the only material hard enough to scratch the surface of glass. The finished glass pane is side-lit with LEDs.

Ron invited famous artists/friends – including Ai Weiwei, Antony Gormley and Gavin Turk. As the artists create their work on the iPad, their every stroke is etched on a pain of glass by a bold diamond ring on the cast of Arad`s fist.

`I was going to catch the last train from Naples – I arrived on the platform just as the doors closed. The train lingered a little and I saw that in an empty carriage there was a guy (I assume it was a guy) with a ring on his fist, doing the most amazing drawings on the glass. It reminded me of the images of Picasso drawing with a match in the air.
Although I didn`t know how I would get out of Naples that night, I felt like I was compensated for missing my train by witnessing some beauty that no one else had seen before. These pieces are about this memory.` Ron Arad

Exhibition Date: 1 June – 24 November 2013; 10am-6pm daily
Address: Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti, San Marco, Venice