The States of Matter series engages with the fundamental physical categories—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma—that define the material world. These distinct phases are typically understood as stable classifications, each governed by predictable properties and behaviors. Jonathan Prince’s work, however, interrogates the boundaries that shape our perceptions of materiality, questioning both the physical and conceptual frameworks through which we understand matter.

In this series, Prince explores moments of transition and ambiguity, where one state seems to dissolve into another and conventional expectations are unsettled. By challenging the viewer’s assumptions about how materials should behave, States of Matter opens a space for reconsidering the fluidity and instability that underlie even the most familiar substances. The series functions simultaneously as a material investigation and a philosophical provocation, inviting reflection on the limits of perception and the mutable nature of the physical world.
  • Jonathan Prince, Balance
    Balance
    South African Granite / Stainless Steel
    58 x 9 x 9 in. ( 147.3 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Emergence
    Emergence
    Swedish Black Granite
    44 x 26 x 30 in. ( 111.8 x 66 x 76.2 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Fulcrum
    Fulcrum
    Cambrian Granite
    14 x 29 x 26 in ( 35.6 x 73.7 x 66 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Gravity
    Gravity
    South African Granite / CorTen Steel
    130 x 22 x 9 in (330.2 x 55.9 x 22.9 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Indra's Net
    Indra's Net
    Chester Granite
    12 x 12 x 12 in ( 30.5 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Life Form
    Life Form
    Indian Granite
    6 x 25 x 15 in ( 15.2 x 63.5 x 38.1 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Neolith
    Neolith
    Cambrian Granite
    13.5 x 23 x 4 in. ( 34.3 x 58.4 x 10.2 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Planetary Body
    Planetary Body
    Zimbabwe Granite / Silver Leaf
    72 x 72 x 8 in. (182.9 x 182.9 x 20.3 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Red
    Red
    Zimbabwe Granite
    66 x 64 x 16 in. ( 167.6 x 162.6 x 40.6 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Twisted Celt
    Twisted Celt
    South African Granite
    9 x 18 x 9 in (22.9 x 45.7 x 22.9 cm)
    Series: States of Matter
  • Jonathan Prince, Waterfall
    Waterfall
    Chester Granite
    15 x 14 x 14 in ( 38 x 35.6 x 35.6 cm)
    Series: States of Matter