Pascal Mestrom (guest)

Born in 1972, Maastricht-based sculpturist Pascal Mestrom has spent 25 years experimenting with the right materials to build his creations… his ‘Inventions’: three-dimensional sculptures, always distinctly recognisable by Pascal’s signature style. Each Invention is a story, written by the variety of pieces and materials from an assortment of styles, époques and corners of the world, all brought together as one.

Having spent his formative years studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht (Netherlands), he developed his knowledge and skills further in several masterclasses in Toulouse (France) and Canterbury (England). In 1999, he became a dealer in arts and antiques, and since 2004, he has specialised in restoring and researching fine antique chandeliers.

In 2019, Pascal started to create his own new sculptures, which he baptised ‘Inventions’. Constructed from authentic historical glass and metal chandeliers parts, joined together by a contemporary mechanical joint and structure, Pascal’s Inventions pay homage to the craftsmen who have created stunning chandeliers over the years. His asymmetrical compositions invoke vibrant colour, blend old materials and feature new hanging part attachments.

Pascal draws on his background as an expert and restorer of fine antique chandeliers to explore the thin dividing line between art and design, sculpture or utensil. What makes a chandelier typically a chandelier or a sculpture? Pascal disrupts the typical symmetry in classic chandeliers, re-using the finest quality authentic and handmade chandelier-parts in various materials like rock crystal, Murano glass, cut glass, gilt bronze and porcelain – from all manner of styles and periods, all dating from the 17th to 20th centuries.

Re-using these beautiful parts that might otherwise have been lost and showcasing them in a new, contemporary, more self-contained way serves a major source motivation for Pascal and an artistic challenge in crafting these Inventions