Luminous Nature is the theme of Marc Sadler’s exhibit this week at supersalone, presented in collaboration with Gritti management.

Let it be said that, while nature is quite often sufficiently luminous all on its own, these wondrous works of glass sculpture are kind of like nature squared. They remind me of the hyper-realism of Van Gogh, albeit swapping the harsh light of the sun for a penetrating darkness, which, this exhibit reveals, offers its own kind of high relief.

Each Lumina Naturae lamp takes inspiration from either terrestrial or aquatic phenomena, like Tritia, whose intricate intersecting lattice-like structure is modeled after the shell of a shellfish, endemic to the Venice lagoon.

Nepenta is like a contained explosion of cherry red floral forms. The inspiration is an archetypal orchid, recapitulated here in unending symphonic splendor, the interior illumined by unseen bulbs that project light evenly in all directions.

And Dolomia’s antecedent is neither flora nor fauna but rather the steadfast silence of sedimentary stone. This lamp is a “stratification of cotisso,” residual blown glass fragments left over from other projects, here displaying subtle gradients of transparency and translucence with the light diffused throughout by “technical Medusas… lighting up the entire monolith.”

Other Lumina Naturae sculptures include Thypa, emulating reedy canes dangling at their terminus a delicate flower; Actinia, named for the many-tentacled creature that navigates deep, dark seas; and Grus Grus, a surrealist take on the classic Venetian chandelier that, speaking of Medusa, resembles a bouquet of sinewy snakes.

See these sublime sculptures of light in person by visiting Fuorisalone at Via Pastrengo 14 in the Isola District. Read more about the designer at Marc Sadler and umbrela comunicare design.