The Sculptors Society of Canada welcomed seven new members. Each of the new additions brought interesting and unique perspectives along with them. Gallery veteran J. Mac introduced the four artists who were present to speak about their works.
W.W. Hung presented three interesting and innovative sculptures, all which sought to explore the relationship between highly architectural geometric shapes and figures that are in the midst of movement. His standout piece is undoubtedly “Purge/Octahedron Redux”. Hung told us that in an earlier version of the sculpture it was suspended from the ceiling. However, at a recent art exhibition he was not permitted to do so, which led him to create the cube that allowed the figure to be suspended within. This addition adds an impressive architectural flair to the work and allows it to stand out immensely.
W.W. Hung with his sculptures (from left to right), Purge/Octahedron Redux, polymer, steel, wood, nylon; Indy Grab, polymer, steel, wood, concrete and Shards, polymer, stainless steel, concrete, nylon
Deborah S. Maurer’s sculptures came together in a much more fluid, but equally appealing way. Her colourful vibrant figures are based on the artist’s sketches of interesting people she passes by in her daily life. She spoke about her passion for working with clay as it allows her to work as loosely as she like. Works like “Second Thoughts” are good-humored, light and enjoyable whilst still portraying a certain level of depth and dynamism.
Deborah S. Maurer with her ceramics, Second Thoughts and Her Dream
Like Maurer artist Angela Verlaeckt-Clark prefers to let her pieces develop as she works toward – rather than begin with – a carefully plotted end point. She spoke on how the energies of the stones she works with call out to her and tell her what to do with them. The words that come to her are written down throughout the process and collected into a poem, which accompanies each individual work. “Perchance to See” comes from her sense of a Native chief “seeing into the future and reflecting on past memories”.
Angela Verlaeckt-Clark is talking about her work, (from left to right) Perchance to See, cornwall stone, Night Wanderer, basalt and Folds of Life, African wonderstone
Philippe Pallafray has some of the largest and most imposing pieces in the exhibition. His works are inspired by the sculptures of antiquity, but as he reworked them he added some futuristic elements to make them more contemporary. The life size figures are made from steel and include motherboards to show how technology has changed the way we look at our body’s functions. The unfinished nature of pieces, like “Adam”, suggest that although technology has improved our life, it has also taken away the purity we used to see the human body.
Philippe Pallafray with his sculpture, Adam, steel
Mary Cartmel, J.A. Fligel and Sergey Ragozin were all unable to attend the opening reception due to prior commitments. Despite the fact that they were not present to speak on their pieces themselves all of their works were still capable of capturing the viewers attention. Sergey Ragozin electric and technologically driven abstract sculptures raise questions about how technology makes its way into our daily lives.
Sergey Ragozin, Between Worlds, mixed-media, LED
J. A. Fligel’s work show a classical education, certain technical capabilities and knowledge of art history. His busts displays an intricate understanding of the human form and the emotions that can be portrayed in a face, even one that is frozen in sculptural form.
New member, W.W. Hung (in the middle) and guests with J.A. Figel, Smile Through Tears, bronze (right top)
Similarly to Verlaeckt-Clark, Cartmel works with stones and allows them to guide her artistic process rather than begin with preliminary sketches. The stones are shaped into abstract bird figures, that allow the viewer to understand how the intense nature of them could merge with the easy motion of the birds.
From left to right: Mary Cartmel, Morning Stretch, brazilian soapstone; A Precarious Perch, brazilian soapstone and Wing Tips, India soapstone
The exhibition is worth a look as each of the new members bring with them their own individual voices, communicated with immense pleasure through their compelling creations.
Rhiann Moore
Images are courtesy of Sculptors Society of Canada
*Exhibition information: February 11 – March 4, 2016, Canadian Sculpture Centre, 500 Church Street. Gallery hours: Tue – Fri: 12 – 6, Sat: 11 – 4 p.m.