LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
ARTS & COLLECTIBLES
LANGUAGE OF LIGHT
Catrinel Sabaciag’s debut at INDEX Dubai revealed a luminous body of work that transforms light into sculpture and perception into poetry—offering collectors rare, limited-edition pieces that are as contemplative as they are functional.
Romanian artist and designer Catrinel Sabaciag made her Middle East debut at INDEX Dubai, presenting a mesmerizing selection of works that blurred the boundaries between sculpture and light, function and reverie. The exhibition marked eight years of Sabaciag’s evolving practice, tracing a tactile, poetic journey through material and perception. The presentation—intellectually rigorous yet emotionally resonant—established her not only as a lighting designer of distinction, but as a conceptual artist who uses light as her medium of reflection.
At the center of the exhibit was Morfoza, the award-winning wall-mounted sculpture forged from aluminum and inox in Transylvania. With no colored lights, only pure white beams interacting with layered optical foils and transparent foams, Morfoza produced a kaleidoscope of shifting hues through refraction alone. The piece invited viewer participation through a rotatable frame—subtly altering light intensity and color with each gesture. Awarded the LIT Design Award in 2024 and the Transylvanian Design Award in 2023, Morfoza stood as a philosophical inquiry into perception: what is seen versus what is present, and how beauty can emerge from overlooked materials.
Alongside it, Sabaciag unveiled two new pieces that drew widespread attention. InBloom, the final work in her Onda collection, debuted as a pendant lamp both intimate and atmospheric. Inspired by the gentle unfolding of a flower, its central light source cast upward beams through dichroic glass, painting ceilings in a delicate choreography of iridescent bloom. Downward, a clean, purposeful light offered clarity—proving that utility and elegance need not be mutually exclusive.
Also introduced was Zenit, a sculptural lamp inspired by the desert’s heat and horizon line. Designed especially for INDEX Dubai, Zenit incorporated onyx, brass, fused glass, and a rare crystal sourced from Transylvania. The triangular onyx base anchored the piece, while slotted gradient-hued glass sheets echoed the shifting palette of Arabian sunsets. The light offered duality—either a focused beam or ambient glow diffused through natural stone—rooting the object in both the local and the universal.
Rounding out the exhibit was a preview of Murmur, a large-scale, site-responsive installation composed of shimmering dichroic fragments. Echoing the aerial dynamics of a murmuration of birds, this piece demonstrated Sabaciag’s capacity to think architecturally while sculpting atmospheres. As a modular, customizable work, Murmur hinted at new directions for her practice at the intersection of art and built space.
For collectors, architects, and curators, the presentation offered more than a showcase of lighting—it was a meditation on perception, impermanence, and material nuance. Each piece in the exhibition was produced in limited editions, hand-finished in Sabaciag’s studio, and rich with conceptual weight. Currently, Sabaciag is accepting a limited number of commissions, inviting bespoke collaborations with those seeking luminous objects that transcend trend to become enduring statements.
In an era increasingly defined by fleeting visuals and disposable design, Sabaciag’s work resists the ephemeral. Her lights do more than illuminate. They invite you to look longer, to participate, and perhaps most powerfully, to feel.
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