Man and Woman

Questa fantastica opera può essere apprezzata di più conoscendone la poetica storia ed il significato drammatico, ispirata dal libro del 1937 “Ali e Nino” dello scrittore Kurban Said, la bellissima scultura in movimento realizzata da Tamara Kvesitadze è intitolata “Man and Woman”. L'opera rappresenta un uomo e una donna che si avvicinano, si baciano, per poi “trapassarsi” in un metaforico abbraccio d’addio che li lascia l’uno di spalle all’altro, per sempre. L’opera, composta da due statue d’acciaio alte 8 metri, impiega 10 minuti a compiere questo atto d’amore, un lento e doloroso inno all’eternità di un sentimento. Si trova nella cittadina balneare di Batumi, in Georgia, dove ogni giorno alle 19.00 compie il suo destino.

Ma veniamo alla storia poetica e drammatica che parla di Ali, un musulmano dell’Azerbaijan e Nino, principessa cristiana della Georgia. Rinnegando i precetti delle rispettive religioni, (dunque rinnegati dalle loro famiglie) decidono di unire le loro vite e sposarsi, vivere felici, avere figli, nonostante la povertà e mille ostacoli. Ma il destino li mette a dura prova: in Azerbaijan scoppia la guerra,  Ali viene chiamato a combattere e muore. Lei, in territorio ostile, con i bambini e distrutta dalla morte del suo compagno, è costretta a ritornare in Georgia.

Together, le opere di Jaume Plensa per la Biennale di Venezia

La meravigliosa installazione realizzata in occasione della Biennale di Venezia, dall’artista spagnolo Jaume Plensa, il titolo è “Together” e si trova negli spazi della Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore progettata dall’architetto Palladio. In particolare, si tratta di due sculture che sembrano dialogare tra loro, una rappresenta una mano di acciaio, appesa al soffitto, composta dai caratteri di otto diverse lingue, e invece raffigura una testa di metallo, posizionata  all'entrata dell'edificio, che accoglie i visitatori. Le opere accolgono e regalano quell'atmosfera artistica che anima Venezia e la rende un luogo magico e unico, perfetto scenario per espressioni artistiche diverse ed eccellenze internazionali. L’artista catalano Jaume Plensa è uno degli esponenti di punta della scultura europea. Vive e lavora tra Parigi e Barcellona e crea delle opere di grandi dimensioni esponendole in tutto il mondo. 

Secondo il curatore della mostra Clare Lilley: “Le opere di Plensa nel San Giorgio Maggiore dimostrano la sua completa padronanza dello spazio e della scala. Le sue sculture non scacciano questi spazi storici; al contrario, catturano e riflettono la luce e le ombre, comunicando in un linguaggio metaforico. “

La Mostra sarà visibile fino al 22 novembre 2015.

Sculptures of Decomposing Body Parts by Yuichi Ikehata

Japanese photographer Yuichi Ikehata creates realistic sculptures of human body parts using clay, wire and paper. He then photographs the sculptures and merges them into unrealistic worlds to create Long Term Memory (LTM), an ongoing photographic series that “puts audiences in the ambivalent position of not knowing what is real and what is not.”

The 40-year old artist currently lives and works in Chiba, Japan.

 

Odani Motohiko sculpture

Odani Motohiko

Born 1972 in Kyoto. BFA in sculpture and MFA from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Best known for his visions of the future premised on "mutation" and "transformation" of the body in sculpture, film and photography.

His unique style of expression and aesthetic sense have won him acclaim both in Japan and abroad, and in 2003 he was selected as one of the artists to represent Japan at the Venice Biennale.

Odani's works on the themes of physical sensations and psychological states, such as pain and fear, awaken latent thoughts and emotions in their viewers. A dress made of hair, an animal in a restraining device, a mysterious young girl, a samurai's wraith-like emaciated horse: The complex images in the works defy single interpretations and possess an ominous charm that exists somewhere between beauty and ugliness, life and death and the spiritual and the secular. Odani, who possesses a keenly critical understanding of sculpture, has resisted (or taken advantage of) the medium's conventional image of weightiness or substance. Instead, he has given physical representation to “phantoms” - entirely ephemeral sensations or amorphous phenomena. 

PETER DEMETZ - ARTWORK

PETER DEMETZ Born in Bolzano in 1969, currently lives and works in Ortisei (BZ). His art has been strongly supported by the Swarovski's Design Center, Wattens, the LKJ-Sachsen Leipzig and Daetz-Centrum in Lichtenstein. He collaborates with the White Room Art System since 2011.

 

 

Demetz installations push within a frame of the everyday life, they talk about the simple gestures. The subjects are caught in very singular poses, the men, often bald, strong an big as for the artist these features depict masculinity. The women are accurately represented to the finest detail, accessories, hair and clothing which show a strong femininity. Yet both men and women must be very average people, with no specific characteristics that show their age or their social status in order to let the observer focus on the being per se, their essence, their soul. 

Often caught from behind, the author “steals” in a snapshot his desire to preserve his intimacy. No eye contact is ever established with the observer, as if these figures were trapped in their own world, where they seem to be aware of being observed, and where the space is facing the observer. 

Demetz' works express a strong sense of soul searching where the subjects are caught in very intimate moments, a slice of life from where they show the true nature of existence.

Matteo Pugliese sculptor

These are the works of Milan born Matteo Pugliese. The self-taught sculptor has been experimenting and working in his chosen craft since his teens. The style he’s landed upon today is one that fuses his love for modern day inventions like animation and science-fiction films with his culture rooted in the past.

His artworks literally stand out from the wall, casting shadows which highlight their captive/escaping nature while influencing the surface itself. While Pugliese normally displays his works on white walls, many of his patrons choose to place the pieces on walls with texture, color, or sometimes on mirror. To see more of his work, including his series of bizarrely large warriors, head to matteopugliese.com.

Constantin Brancusi Homage

Constantin Brancusi, The Newborn II, 1927, Stainless steel, National Museum of Modern Art

Homage! 139 years since the birth of Constantin Brancusi ( February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) - patriarch of modern sculpture 

“ Don't look for obscure formulas or mystery in my work. It is pure joy that I offer you. Look at my sculptures until you see them. Those closest to God have seen them” Brancusi said.

(Text and Photo by Ionel Scaunasu)
See also http://designdautore.blogspot.it/2011/02/constantin-brancusi.html#more

"Brancusi-Newborn I 1915"

Endless Column

Designed by the famous modern artist Constantin Brancusi, the 98-foot Endless Column and its related sculpture ensemble, including the Table of Silence and Gate of the Kiss, were built as a memorial to those who died defending the town of Târgu-Jiu, Romania from the Germans during World War I. Beginning in 1998, WMF In partnership with the World Bank and the Government of Romania undertook conservation of the deteriorated column and development of a plan to restore the ensemble and integrate the work better with the surrounding landscape. The Endless Column was disassembled, cleaned, restored, and re-erected in December 2000. Attention then turned to the stone sculpture and its environment, which was surveyed and restored as much as possible to its original appearance. Today, the Endless Column, the Gate of the Kiss, and the Table of Silence are recognized as great works of twentieth-century outdoor sculpture.

The Table of Silence

The kiss gate (in Romanian, “Poarta sarutului”) is one of the masterpieces of Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and resides in the main park of Tirgu-Jiu