Whether made of blown glass following a tradition handed down since the 13th century (Convex Mirror Vases), or through a technique specifically developed by Front to reflect an image inserted into the thickness of glass (Reflection Vase), whether the form evokes the first moment humans saw their own reflec-tion (Water Reflection Side Table), recalls how human inge-nuity conceived the first flat glass mirrors (Cut Mirror Vase), or highlights the traditional know-how of a 680-year-old foundry (Bronze Mirrors), whether the material is similar to that of the first man-made stone mirrors created more than 8,000 years ago (Obsidian Mirror), or magnified by legendary Murano mir-ror-making (The Secret Mirror), each piece is the result of an astute typological and historical analysis of the mirror-object, which investigates how the value, significance, cultural mea-ning, and technical aspect of a specific object are constantly evolving with time.

By taking an in-depth look at the mirror-object that is both mundane and extraordinary, magical in the hands of Alice in Through the Looking Glass or highly symbolic in Renaissance painting, Front continues to re-enchant the objects that sur-round us, a practice that began with “The Magic Collection” presented in 2007 by the Galerie kreo. In this exhibition, some mirrors also become a vase or coffee table, extending their capa-city of reflection.

The progeny of Front’s advanced and distinctive research on the manifold history of mirrors, Seven Stories About Mirrors is about how one can study the evolution of humanity through the prism of the mirror, and how a single object fractures into multiple narratives: from industrial espionage in 16th-century Venice to Chinese metal mirrors, from the prowess of early craftmanship to technological achievements, from the meta-morphosis of the materiality of an object to the relationship of each one of us to our own image.

“From the first stone mirror made 8,000 years ago, the history of mirrors has been laced with magic and poetry, luxury and vanity, myth and faith, medieval industrial espionage and modern psy-chology, craft and technological advances, culture and self-con-sciousness. Seven Stories About Mirrors is our research into the history of mirrors to understand how the object changes its func-tion, materiality, value, and status over time, each story drawing from a key step in the development of mirrors, and unique crafts-manship.” —Front