Myths Reimagined: Rodin and the Art of Transformation - opening in Dallas on January 11

Akim Monet Fine Arts proudly celebrates its ten-year collaboration with the Musée Rodin and the Estate of Auguste Rodin with an extraordinary exhibition exploring the timeless interplay of mythology, creativity, and transformation.

Myths Reimagined: Rodin and the Art of Transformation juxtaposes Rodin’s iconic works with modern and contemporary creations, forging a dialogue across epochs to examine the enduring power of myth and art in shaping the human experience.

This exhibition also reflects a new kind of creative partnership, as the gallery collaborated with ChatGPT in crafting the narrative framework. This conceptual integration mirrors themes explored in Enshrined Siri, further emphasizing the evolving relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence.

1. Ancient Wisdom, Playful Inquiry, and Digital Consciousness

• Auguste Rodin: L’Ecclésiaste (circa 1881), originally La Femme au Livre
• Deepak Chopra: Digital Dharma (2024)

Auguste Rodin's L’Ecclésiaste (circa 1881), originally titled La Femme au Livre (The Woman with the Book), reveals the artist’s playful and improvisational approach to his craft. Before being “baptized” L’Ecclésiaste by poet and critic Robert de Montesquiou, this enigmatic sculpture depicted a female figure reclining on a book—a gesture that balances audacity with elegance. Montesquiou’s renaming transformed it into a philosophical meditation, evoking the existential depth of the Biblical Ecclesiastes and its musings on life’s fleeting nature.

In pairing this work with Deepak Chopra’s Digital Dharma: How AI Can Elevate Spiritual Intelligence and Personal Well-Being (2024), the exhibition introduces a playful yet profound dialogue between ancient wisdom and contemporary explorations of consciousness. Chopra’s book suggests that while AI lacks consciousness, it can act as a tool for personal growth, fostering self-awareness and spiritual inquiry in unexpected ways.

This pairing playfully bridges the physicality of Rodin’s bronze and the abstract ideas of Chopra’s text, inviting viewers to reflect on the evolving tools we use to grapple with life’s eternal questions.
How do books—or algorithms—serve as supports for our understanding of existence? Through this juxtaposition, the exhibition underscores the timeless human quest for meaning, blending humor, introspection, and a touch of the surreal.

2. Mythology and Chimeras

• Akim Monet: Black Nike (2017)
• Indian Folklore: Ganesh (c. 1992)
• Auguste Rodin: La Faunesse Zoubaloff (1885)

Rodin’s La Faunesse Zoubaloff (1885) bridges the realms of human and animal, embodying the tension between civilization and primal instincts. The fauness, featured in The Gates of Hell, evokes themes of hybridity and liminality. Similarly, Akim Monet’s Black Nike (2017), a reinterpretation of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, invokes transformation and strength. As a headless figure carved from slate-based composite, Black Nike invites viewers to complete the image through imagination, much like Rodin’s own fragmented works.

Adding to this dialogue is the depiction of Ganesh (c. 1992), an elephant-headed deity central to Indian folklore. Rendered in natural pigments on paper, this late 20th-century artwork captures the mythological fusion of animal and human in divine form. Ganesh symbolizes wisdom, new beginnings, and the removal of obstacles, resonating with the themes of hybridity and transformation explored in this section.

The fascination with hybrid forms explored in these works finds striking contemporary parallels in science and technology. In 2017, the National Institute of Health lifted a moratorium on the creation of human-animal hybrids, known as chimeras. While this research holds potential for breakthroughs in organ transplants and disease treatments, it also raises complex ethical questions about the boundaries between species. At the same time, artificial intelligence—another form of hybrid—has emerged as a fusion of human creativity and machine processing, reshaping fields as diverse as art, ethics, and science. AI, much like the mythical chimeras of old, exists in a liminal space, provoking both wonder and unease.

The integration of AI into the curatorial process for Myths Reimagined echoes the themes of hybridity and transformation explored throughout the exhibition. By processing data provided by the curator, AI acts as a conceptual chimera, blending human insight with machine-generated interpretation to craft new meanings. These hybrid works—whether mythological, artistic, or technological—invite us to reflect on our evolving relationship with boundaries, categories, and the transformative power of fusion.

3. Creation and Transformation

• Akim Monet: Enshrined Siri [assisted readymade] (2017)
• Akim Monet: Enshrined Siri [archival inkjet print] (2017)
• Auguste Rodin: Pygmalion et Galatée (1900–1905)
• Joseph Beuys: Intuition (1968)
• Lita Albuquerque: She Thought It Was Beneath the Surface of the Earth (2021)
• Auguste Rodin: La Voix Intérieure (1896/1897)

Rodin’s Pygmalion et Galatée (1900–1905) epitomizes the transformative act of creation, inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where Pygmalion’s devotion animates his ivory sculpture. In Akim Monet’s Enshrined Siri (2017), this myth is reimagined through the lens of modern technology. Siri becomes a contemporary Galatea—brought to life not by divine intervention but through human ingenuity and technological evolution. This pairing bridges the mythological and the digital, examining how mythology becomes a reality in our scientific era.

Monet presents Enshrined Siri in two distinct forms. The first is an “assisted readymade,” enshrining a 2011 iPhone 4S—the very model that introduced Siri—under a vintage glass bell. This transformation of a mass-produced object into an iconic artifact highlights the profound cultural impact of artificial intelligence and its integration into daily life. Siri’s disembodied presence, both ubiquitous and intangible, finds a symbolic body in this carefully constructed presentation, echoing the myth of Galatea.

The second form, Enshrined Siri [archival inkjetprint] (2017), immortalizes this object in a pigment print on paper. The photograph transforms the readymade into a permanent image, adding another layer of mediation. Here, the print captures the physical and conceptual significance of the original object while extending its legacy into the realm of visual art. Together, these works invite contemplation on how technology, like myth, is not only created but also preserved and reimagined across different mediums.

Rodin’s La Voix Intérieure (1896/1897) and Joseph Beuys’ Intuition (1968) deepen this meditation. Rodin’s contemplation of introspection aligns with Beuys’ elevation of intuition as a higher form of thought, encouraging us to transcend rationality and embrace the mysteries of creation. These works invite viewers to reflect on the diverse processes through which ideas and emotions take form—whether through myth, art, or the mysteries of human cognition.

Finally, Lita Albuquerque’s She Thought It Was Beneath the Surface of the Earth (2021) introduces a cosmic dimension to this exploration. Created from a 3D scan of the artist’s daughter, the pigment-covered resin sculpture connects the human form to the organic and cosmic realms. Albuquerque’s work invokes the light and energy that permeates all matter, blurring the boundaries between the personal, the universal, and the eternal. Her practice—rooted in the Land Art movement—reminds us of our intrinsic connection to the cosmos, extending the conversation to questions of origin, transformation, and interconnectedness.

4. The Hand as Gesture: Creation, Farewell, and Performance

• Auguste Rodin: The Hand of God (1895)
• Auguste Rodin: Hand No. 39 (1885–1900)
• Auguste Rodin: Hand No. 20, small model (1890–1908)
• Auguste Rodin: L’Adieu (1898)
• Joseph Beuys: Der Tisch (1968)

Auguste Rodin’s L’Adieu (1898) is a poignant assemblage that fuses Camille Claudel’s face with two clasped hands. These hands transform a simple gesture of farewell into an emotionally charged act, reflecting the profound bond and painful separation between Rodin and Claudel.

Alongside L’Adieu, Rodin’s Hand No. 20, small model (1890–1908) and Hand No. 39 (1885–1900) capture the expressive potential of the human hand, isolated as a fragments yet imbued with life. Described by Rainer Maria Rilke as containing “hands that rise, irritated and in wrath,” Rodin’s hands transcend their physicality to embody emotion, action, and thought. His masterful treatment of anatomy elevates the hand from a fragment to a complete and eloquent form, where gesture speaks louder than words.

Rodin’s The Hand of God (1895) elevates the hand into a divine symbol of creation. A monumental hand cradling Adam and Eve emerges from raw material, illustrating the intimate relationship between the creator and the created. The fragment’s tactile detail and dramatic gesture embody Rodin’s belief in the hand as both a sculptor’s tool and a symbol of life itself.

Joseph Beuys’ Der Tisch (1968) extends this exploration into the realm of performance. As part of a durational piece, Beuys silently gestures while his collaborators, seated at a steel table with clamps on their wrists, respond to signals controlling when they may speak. The performance’s structure highlights the hand as both a tool of expression and a symbol of constraint, blurring the boundaries between freedom and control, silence and communication. Together, these works emphasize the hand’s dual role as an agent of action and a vessel for meaning, illustrating its enduring power to connect us across time, space, and medium.

5. Creation and Unity

• Akim Monet: Untitled (from the “Seeking Al-Tawhid” series) (2006)
• Auguste Rodin: La Création (1890–1900)

Rodin’s La Création (1890–1900) illustrates the emergence of humanity from divine origin. The dynamic assemblage of figures conveys the tension between creator and creation, echoing Michelangelo’s Ignudi from the Sistine Chapel. This exploration of material creation resonates with Akim Monet’s Untitled (2006), from the “Seeking Al-Tawhid” series. Inspired by Islamic geometric designs, Monet’s work evokes the unity and multiplicity of divine transcendence. Together, these pieces connect material and spiritual creation, bridging Western and Islamic traditions to reflect on universal themes of emergence and interconnectedness.

6. The Female Form: Sketch, Gesture, Erasure, and Transformation

• George Grosz: Akte im Atelier (1927)
• George Grosz: Wie die Tauben (Liebespaar) (1927)
• George Grosz: Stehender weiblicher Akt (1927)
• Auguste Rodin: Nu féminin accoudé, jambe gauche relevée vers l’arrière (1900)
• Auguste Rodin: Nu féminin agenouillé en torsion (1882–1890)
• Joseph Beuys: Noiseless Blackboard Eraser (1974)

Rodin’s Nu féminin agenouillé en torsion (1882–1890) and Nu féminin accoudé, jambe gauche relevée vers l’arrière (1900) together capture two distinct moments of expressive movement. In Nu féminin agenouillé en torsion, the twisting body, stripped of head and arms, radiates energy and tension, inviting viewers to focus on the vitality of the torso. Its fragmentary nature amplifies the emotional resonance, transforming incompleteness into a profound exploration of form. In contrast, Nu féminin accoudé, jambe gauche relevée vers l’arrière emphasizes grace and fluidity, with its tightly modeled pose reflecting Rodin’s fascination with anatomy and motion.

Paired with Joseph Beuys’ Noiseless Blackboard Eraser (1974), these works explore the interplay between presence and absence, form and erasure. Beuys’ eraser, crafted from felt, symbolizes the impermanence of creation and the preservation of energy. The act of erasure, like Rodin’s fragmented forms, becomes a transformative process—where meaning emerges not from what is present, but from what is left unsaid or undone.

This dialogue extends to George Grosz’s 1927 sketches—Wie die Tauben (Liebespaar), Stehenderweiblicher Akt, and Akte im Atelier. Rendered with pencil, carpenter’s pen, and charcoal, Grosz’s drawings capture fleeting moments of intimacy and movement, echoing the spontaneity of Rodin’s forms and the conceptual play of Beuys’ erasure. Together, these works highlight how gesture, torsion, and incompleteness serve as universal languages of transformation, transcending medium and era.

7. Faces of Anguish and the Mask as Expression

• Akim Monet: Le Cri (2009)
• Auguste Rodin: Masque de Hanako, type D (1908–1912)

Rodin’s Masque de Hanako, type D (1908–1912) captures the extraordinary emotional depth of its subject, Japanese actress and dancer Hanako (Ohta Hisa). Known for her intense performances of ritual suicide scenes, Hanako fascinated Rodin with her ability to transform her face into a mask of anguish, concealing and revealing emotions simultaneously. This duality intrigued Rodin, leading him to sculpt 58 studies of Hanako’s face, exploring the limits of expression and the performative nature of the mask itself.

Akim Monet’s Le Cri (2009) resonates with Rodin’s exploration of anguish. This image, created during Monet’s residency at the Musée Rodin, draws inspiration from the sculptor’s ability to transmute anatomy into raw emotion. Le Cri captures a moment of existential despair, translating the human scream into a visceral visual language. Together, these works interrogate the interplay between appearance and emotion, exploring how the mask—whether literal or metaphorical—both hides and amplifies the human condition.

Cross-Temporal Dialogues

Through these juxtapositions, Myths Reimagined highlights the enduring relevance of mythology and its modern manifestations. By uniting Rodin’s masterpieces with the transformative visions of Albuquerque, Beuys, Grosz and Monet, the exhibition celebrates art’s ability to traverse time, culture, and medium.

Do myths offer clarity in times of change, or do they challenge our understanding of self and creation? As the boundaries between mythic, artistic, and technological worlds blur, Myths Reimagined: Rodin and the Art of Transformation underscores art’s unparalleled capacity to question, transform, and transcend.