BLACK JACK 2006

Carbon fiber and aluminum

401.3 x 350.3 x 243.8 cm

158 x 137 7/8 x 96 in

Edition of 5 plus 2 AP

Max Protech Gallery, NYC, USA

Carbon fiber and titanium sculpture for a private gallery  in NY

A colossal black jack—resembling the children’s toy—looms at eye level, transformed into something both familiar and ominous. Its six sharply tapering, glossy black spokes radiate from a central node, each terminating in an oversized spherical form. One spoke arcs dramatically upward like a missile, injecting a sense of latent tension and propulsion. The surface is cold, dark, and impenetrable—highly polished to the point that it reflects distorted images of viewers who dare to look, pulling them into its gravitational presence.

Black Jack is part of the permanent collection at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin, acquired in 2009. It has been exhibited in leading venues including Max Protetch Gallery in New York and stands as a pivotal work in Iñigo Manglano Ovalle’s sculptural practice, where conceptual rigor meets industrial precision. With this piece, Manglano-Ovalle transforms minimalist form into a vessel of power, reflection, and threat—echoing the language of both play and weaponry.