Omer Arbel

Background

Omer Arbel (born 1976 in Jerusalem) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Vancouver. He trained as an architect in the late 1990s, apprenticing with figures such as Enric Miralles and Patkau Architects, established his studio practice in 2005 and in the same year co-founded Bocci with entrepreneur Randy Bishop.

Signature Style

Arbel cultivates a fluid position between architecture, sculpture, invention and design. His work investigates the intrinsic mechanical, physical and chemical qualities of materials and explores light as a medium, favouring analogue processes such as glassblowing, concrete forming and metalwork. Projects are numbered in the order they were conceived.

Notable Works

• 14 Series (2005), Bocci's first lamp, and the 16, 28, 38, 57, 73, 84 and 87 series
• Co-design of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic medals with Corrine Hunt
• 280 pendants of the 28 Series at the Victoria and Albert Museum (2013)
• 157 pendants of the 57 Series at Canada House, London (2015)

Legacy

Arbel received the RAIC Allied Arts Medal in 2015. His work has been shown at the Aedes Architekturforum in Berlin, Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan and Carwan Gallery in Athens, and he leads Omer Arbel Office and OAO Works.