Construction sites and farming landscapes are often noted for their utilitarian and demanding nature—spaces characterized by ruggedness and resistance to softness, built on principles of force and tension. Artist Pia Hinz challenges this notion by delving into the interplay between strength and vulnerability through her artistic explorations.
Based between Ardèche, Amsterdam, and Arles, France, Hinz has dedicated the past three years to crafting with stained glass. Her work predominantly focuses on items typically found in labor-intensive settings like construction or agriculture. These sculptures include familiar shapes such as hammers, screws, traffic cones, tractor doors, scythes, and ropes.
Hinz reimagines the purpose of traditional tools and machinery by incorporating glass, transforming these objects into forms that oppose their original function. “Here, fragility and invincibility intertwine,” notes an exhibition statement from La Menuiserie 2, where Hinz completed a residency in 2024. “By replacing functional materials with fragile ones, the artist questions our relationship to objects, their use value, and their narrative potential.”
When light filters through her creations, it casts colorful reflections on the surrounding environment. Works such as “MON PRÉCIEUX” and “Néon sacré” feature intricate abstract and geometric designs, accentuated by winding metal lines. Hinz describes her work with this medium as an “urge to retrace the relation between light and space.”
Currently, Hinz is developing a permanent stained glass installation for a building in Paris. For more information, visit her Instagram page.
