A boulder may by
virtue of its constancy, its concrete heaviness and
large volume feel reassuring - as something solid, stable and autonomous. Like
with the sea and the stars we may be reminded of eternity and large spaces,
slow time and something deep within ourselves. Conversely it may also trigger
difficult emotions, as a reminder of our own transience and the sense of
meaninglessness that occurs in the big picture.
Boulder is as the title indicates a representation of one large
stone as a 1:1 sculptural and pictorial model: One voluminous element,
apparently heavy and immovable. But the interpretation of nature by culture is
theatrical and expressive and the imitation carries a distinct makeshift
character. The timeless perspective of the rock is confronted by the
temporality of contemporary art, and vice versa. An evident naturalness is
presented in the form of a fraudulent substitute; a superficial construction.
However, this is not an idle forgery, for what may look like an externalization
of an imaginative concept, simultaneously works as an
internalization - the stone becoming a part of us.
The viewer
encounters a subjective representation of something natural and unprocessed,
quite in keeping with traditional ideas of artistic representation. In this
case the expressive gesture paradoxically expresses something mute and dumb.
Through a form of expressive implosion the art object itself
attempts to evade any purpose or significance and - as a boulder - simply
exist.
--
Boulder, 2013
oil, plastic, tape, glue, polystyrene
approx. 150 x 120 x 240 cm