Jorge Manilla at Four Gallery

Artist list

Jorge Manilla

In the work Re-Flection Manilla uses casting and patina techniques to bring viewers closer to an understanding of the origins of humanity. Born and raised in Mexico but now living in Belgium, Jorge Manilla's work conveys something raw and sometimes brutal with a gentle sensitivity.

The work Re-Flection draws on the philosophy of Georges Bataille, where the sacred emerges through transgression and the breaking of imposed order. In this context, oxidation becomes both a material process and a metaphor for transformation. Rust is time made visible — a slow, continuous undoing of form.

Each piece is cast in aluminum using earth-casting techniques, ensuring that every work is unique. Steel powder embedded in the surface initiates oxidation, allowing the material to evolve over time. Japanese paper acts as a fragile membrane stretched across corroding metal during the process and fragments of it still remain in the finished pieces.


Welcome to meet the artist during the opening.
Saturday March 21st, 13-16 h.
Artist talk at 14:00 h.