Cork's Importance in the World of Modern Art Highlighted In "The Reflection of Bronze" by Giuseppe Penone at New York's Gagosian Gallery

Viewable until July 17, 2026, this exhibition showcases cork's role outside of the forest and beyond bottle closures

NEW YORK, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural cork is having another important moment in the world of fine art, with a high profile feature as part of an exhibition at the renowned Gagosian Gallery in New York. Titled "The Reflection of Bronze," this installation was created by Giuseppe Penone, an Italian artist and sculptor known for his work exploring themes of permanence, time, and transformation, and will be on display until July 17, 2026.

For Penone, cork is the perfect material because of the way it embodies time: cork oak trees are not harvested until they reach approximately 25 years of age—and sometimes that number can be as high as 40 years—after which the tree regrows its bark and is harvested every nine years. This cycle of shedding and regeneration is captured in the first of three rooms in this exhibition, which contains lined floor-to-ceiling sheets of natural cork. Paired with bronze, it creates an enveloping environment alluding to the regenerative capacity of skin on the human body.

"Starting from its ability to retain CO2 to its resistance to high temperatures to its elasticity, there are so many sustainable and beneficial qualities of cork that make it one of nature's greatest wonders," said Paulo Américo Oliveira, President of the Board, APCOR. "Yet, this installation is an important reminder of cork's beauty, of its connection to humanity and time, and of its incredible ability to tell a story in the expansive hands of artists."

Cork's place in the world of modern art is ever-expanding. Where Penone's exhibition focuses on cork oak trees and the relation to time and transformation, artist Kanye Tomiwa creates pieces made from the wine stoppers consumers normally discard. Collected from a bottle at a dinner table, a wedding toast, or a quiet night in, Tomiwa uses cork to craft wall sculptures, cube tables, pedestals, and a distinctive mirror collection. He also collaborates with businesses and institutions to collect corks and help them tell their own stories through custom cork art, rooted in sustainability and purpose. Similarly, fashion designer and artist Jinky Huang operates from a passion for innovative, sustainable materials, using cork in many of his works. His collaboration with Hello Kitty for the character's 50th anniversary saw a giant Hello Kitty sculpture in Shanghai created by using cork and stone as well as a larger sustainable art exhibition that used cork as a central element.

The use of cork in contemporary art is flourishing not only in the United States but around the world. Among the artists leading this movement is Chinese contemporary artist Jinky Huang, who has pioneered the use of cork as a creative medium. His concept of "Sustainable Art" brings together the principles of Daoist philosophy with the deconstructive thought of French philosopher Jacques Derrida, using natural materials to explore the relationship between humanity, nature and artistic expression.

In 2024, Huang presented a collaborative exhibition in downtown Shanghai, highlighted by a monumental five-metre-tall Hello Kitty sculpture crafted from sustainable cork. Centred on sustainability, the exhibition showcased his continued experimentation with innovative materials, positioning cork as both an environmentally responsible resource and a compelling medium for contemporary art.

Huang's next major project, a high-profile exhibition in the United States scheduled for 2027, will once again place cork at the centre of his artistic vision. Together with the work of other pioneering artists, his creations demonstrate that cork's potential extends far beyond its traditional role as a wine and spirits closure, revealing its growing significance as a material for contemporary artistic expression.

About 100% Cork
100% Cork is an educational communications campaign about wine cork stoppers. The mission of the campaign is to provide wine industry professionals and consumers with the latest information and research on the benefits of natural cork. The campaign was established by the Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR), with the support of the Natural Cork Council, to increase awareness of the unique qualities and sustainability of natural cork.

About APCOR
Associação Portuguesa da Cortiça (APCOR) exists to represent and promote the Portuguese cork industry and its products. APCOR is the employers' association of national scope, created in 1956 and is based in Santa Maria de Lamas, at the heart of the cork industry around 30 kilometers from Porto, Portugal's second-largest city. Membership of the association is open to all companies operating in the fields of production, marketing or export of cork products. The organization advocates on behalf of the Portuguese cork industry worldwide and is the driving force of an industry based on tradition, innovation and sustainability.

Media Contact
Eliza Reilly
Colangelo & Partners
[email protected]

SOURCE Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR)