James
Jorge Pardo, 2007
Steel wire, light bulb · 194 × 79.5 × 63 cm
Courtesy of The Met Hotel Art Collection, Thessaloniki
Description:
James is a life-sized wireframe sculpture by Jorge Pardo, representing the outline of a standing human figure. Constructed from black steel rods, the figure is hollow, linear, and almost spectral — a contour drawing brought into three-dimensional space. At its center, a single light bulb glows softly, casting subtle shadows and transforming the body into a living line of light and space.
Despite its minimalism, James carries a strong human presence. The pose — slightly hunched, arms drawn forward — evokes quiet introspection or the motion of checking something in one’s hands. The light bulb, where the heart might be, acts as a soul or inner energy source, animating this otherwise weightless form.
Pardo’s work often blurs boundaries between design, sculpture, and architecture, and James exemplifies that approach. It’s part drawing, part lamp, part ghost — a poetic reminder of how form and function can coexist without being defined by either.
Interpretive Highlights
Line made volume: The sculpture is essentially a contour drawing in space — expressive and dynamic despite its simplicity.
Light as presence: The inner bulb becomes a metaphor for life, thought, or memory — giving warmth and significance to the hollow form.
Architectural dialogue: Situated within The Met Hotel’s clean-lined, luminous lobby, James invites guests into a moment of pause and recognition — a figure caught in light, between presence and absence.