GUARDIAN MUTANT

EDITION OF 11

+ 2 ARTIST PROOFS

+ 2 ERROR PROOFS

 

 

THE WORK

Guardian Mutant is an editioned sculptural object by Marcel Katz, created within the evolving MARCEL archive.

The work begins with the original Guardian form but is conceived first as an independent sculpture. Eyewear is its medium and one of its possible functions, not the limit of its identity.

Its broad architectural brow, substantial body, extended temples, deep black exterior, and translucent acid-green interior give the object a physical presence beyond conventional eyewear. The contrasting acetate appears to carry an internal charge, as though the sculpture has been altered from within.

Guardian Mutant may be worn, displayed, studied, collected, and preserved.

The face is one possible site for the work. It remains complete when removed from the body.

THE SCULPTURE

Guardian is among the most substantial forms in the MARCEL archive.

Its structure is defined by a pronounced upper line, sculpted bridge, deeply framed lenses, extended temples, and a deliberate sense of mass. The object occupies space with the authority of a small architectural construction.

Within the Mutant variation, translucent green acetate moves through the black structure like an internal current.

From the front, the green appears restrained and partially contained. Along the edges, interior, and temples, it becomes increasingly visible. The work shifts according to light, position, and viewing angle.

The sculpture does not reveal itself all at once.

THE ARTISTIC PROPOSITION

Guardian Mutant explores transformation from within.

Its chromatic composition draws from mutation, speculative biology, radioactive color, underground visual culture, and the imagined residue of an unseen force.

The green is not applied as surface decoration. It exists within the physical body of the sculpture, embedded into its layered material construction.

The contrast between opaque black and translucent green creates tension between containment and exposure, order and instability, architecture and mutation.

The resulting object remains recognizable as Guardian, but no longer entirely resolved.

OBJECT AND BODY

Guardian Mutant was created in relation to the human face, but it does not depend upon being worn to function as an artwork.

When placed on the body, the sculpture alters the architecture of the face. Its scale, silhouette, material, and color become part of the wearer’s physical presence.

When removed, it remains an autonomous object.

It may exist on a pedestal, inside a display case, within an archive, or as part of a private collection.

Wearability is one dimension of the work, not its sole purpose.

MATERIAL AND MAKING

Guardian Mutant is constructed from layered Italian acetate, Italian stainless steel hardware, and ZEISS gradient lenses.

The sculpture is handcrafted in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, through specialized processes of cutting, forming, assembly, polishing, lens fitting, and final adjustment.

The layered acetate construction reveals the translucent green material through the front, interior edges, and temples. These transitions are central to the composition and emphasize the depth of the object.

Subtle variations in acetate density, transparency, coloration, polishing, markings, and material transition are retained as evidence of the making process.

Each completed work is individually reviewed, documented, and entered into the Maison Marcel archive.

EDITION

Edition of 11 numbered works

+ 2 Artist Proofs

+ 2 Error Proofs

Each object is individually identified and registered within the Maison Marcel archive.

This acquisition is for one numbered work from the edition of 11. The specific edition number will be selected from the remaining available works unless otherwise stated.

The Artist Proofs and Error Proofs exist outside the numbered edition and are maintained as separate classifications within the archive.

PROVENANCE

Artist: Marcel Katz
Work: Guardian Mutant
Variation: Mutant
Year: 2026
Medium: Italian acetate, Italian stainless steel hardware, ZEISS gradient lenses
Place of production: Fiorano Modenese, Italy
Archive: Maison Marcel
Certificate of authenticity: Signed and included
Archive registration: Included

FUNCTION

Guardian Mutant is engineered to function as eyewear while retaining the presence and autonomy of a sculptural object.

Its lenses, hinges, bridge, temples, and weight distribution allow the sculpture to be worn on the face. This function is integrated into the work without determining its artistic identity.

It is a sculpture that can be worn, rather than eyewear subsequently presented as art.

SPECIFICATIONS

Form: Guardian
Variation: Mutant
Classification: Numbered sculptural edition
Edition: 11 numbered works
Artist Proofs: 2
Error Proofs: 2
Dimensions: 51–21–150 mm
Weight: 48 g
Primary medium: Italian acetate
Hardware: Italian stainless steel
Lenses: ZEISS gradient lenses
Crafted in: Fiorano Modenese, Italy
Archive registration: Included
Signed certificate of authenticity: Included

THE ACQUISITION

The acquisition includes:

Guardian Mutant sculptural object

Individual edition identification

Signed certificate of authenticity

Maison Marcel collector packaging

Oversized MARCEL cloth

Protective storage component

Care and provenance documentation

OBJECT VARIATION

Each work within the edition possesses individual material characteristics.

Variations may appear in acetate transparency, green saturation, internal layering, polishing, markings, hardware placement, and surface appearance.

These distinctions are intrinsic to the edition and contribute to the identity of each object. They are not treated as imperfections requiring correction.

The photographs represent the character of the Guardian Mutant variation. The acquired work may present its own individual material distinctions unless a specific numbered object is identified in advance.

COLLECTOR NOTE

Guardian Mutant belongs to a closed micro-edition.

Once the edition is complete, this exact material and chromatic composition will not be reproduced in the same form.

The work is intended to exist within private and institutional collections as a sculpture, an artifact of the MARCEL archive, and an object capable of being worn.

A sculptural object by Marcel Katz. Conceived in Miami and handcrafted in Fiorano Modenese, Italy.

Created to be collected, displayed, preserved, and, when desired, worn.