Luminescent expression defines Rive Roshan’s ‘Internal Reflection’

“We see by the grace of light. Imagine our minds as prisms, refracting the myriad of radiating colours that flow in through our eyes. We don’t just see objects–we witness the rebounding light, shaping our internal world like coloured rays seeping into Plato’s Cave. These internal reflections can transcend time, projecting radiant memories,” reflect Ruben de la Rive Box and Golnar Roshan, founders of Amsterdam-based studio Rive Roshan. Light, and its dialogue with matter, is a spectrum that the artists harness as their primary medium of expression. They recognise how this interplay is more than a mere sight, it is a perception that translates into thoughts and emotions—and the artists choose to harbour hope, optimism and empathy.

In their debut Australian solo exhibition, the husband and wife duo make an appearance at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, an art and design gallery in Sydney, Australia. Rive Roshan presents a luminescent landscape of monolithic functional objects, lighting design and artwork in a show aptly titled Internal Reflection. The interplay of textured glass, colour and light comes to the fore in the body of new functional art objects—Radiance Tables, a Radiance Bench and Colour Shift Floor Lights—through which the artists strive to evoke internal reflection. The solo show will remain on view from February 1 to March 17, 2024. “We believe that by living with objects that make you feel good and positive, you are influenced to make more mindful choices in life,” the artists share.

Light is not an entity that merely surrounds or illuminates the objects by Rive Roshan, it flows through these silhouettes and delineates their expression—such that these pieces appear to have a light of their own. This interweaving of light, colour, space and material is a characteristic style that ties the artists’ oeuvre together. The artwork, collectable design and immersive installations donned in these semantics aspire to shift perspectives and speak of transience. As material and light collide to yield diverse visual textures, the viewer is invited to stimulate their senses and curiosity.

A similar character—subtle yet radiant—permeates through the furniture designs, lighting and art now showcased in Internal Reflection. The Radiance works, encompassing table designs and benches, are made out of textured, reflective glass, set overprints of colour created by artists. Rippling as one engages with them, these pieces reflect their surroundings, spreading and diffusing light. The Colour Shift Floor Lights employ a similar material palette, the major difference brought about by a built-in light source that allows the sculptural design to reflect light into a myriad of effects infinitely. New editions of coloured Radiance Panels also join the ensemble with their intricately structured glass circles that appear to absorb and emit light. The design exhibition is completed with the artists’ first works created in Australia: A time to reflect wall art and Colour Dial Table.

Through their expanding body of work—art, furniture, lighting and product design—the artists aim to demonstrate the intermingling of light and matter, and how it moulds the intricacies, colours and reflections one sees. The duo believes that acknowledging the “magic” in the environment allows empathy and consideration to trickle in and connections to blossom. Bringing together these captivating creations at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Rive Roshan hopes that the reflective objects usher the viewers through a journey that mirrors their Internal Reflection.