In 1942 scientists at the University of Chicago orchestrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. This breakthrough facilitated the large-scale production of plutonium—a radioactive metal that fuels nuclear reactors and weaponry—and accelerated the Manhattan Project, a World War II–era research operation that resulted in the first nuclear weapons.

Body of Light evokes one of the earliest nuclear bombs, nicknamed “Fat Man” for its bulbous design. The work also resembles the “cosmic egg,” a symbol of the origin of the universe that recurs in mythologies across cultures. Conflating these two references, Body of Light conjures the destructive plutonium core of the bomb, yet its diminutive size and effervescent surface magnify its primordial aura, making it a deceivingly sacred form. Blooming and luminous, the crystalline glazes of Soin’s ceramic work are inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist “rainbow body,” a postmortem state during which the physical body dissolves into a radiant body of light. For Soin, the work—which blurs matter and spirit, decay and restoration—points to a supersensual threshold between our transcendent and lived realities.

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Conceptualised by Himali Singh Soin & produced by Charly Blackburn.