Artwork

Pele

2017 Competition entry

Detail
Tags

Rudolf Bitzer

Details:
Signed
Epoxy, mild steel, Duco
370 mm x 140 mm x 210 mm
Description:
Being formally involved with sculpting for the last three years brought Rudolf to a point where his work needed to change. The origins of his work were in ceramics, but epoxy resin in combination with mild steel became a favourite medium of expression.

In the past the resin figures were organic, in sharp contrast with the metal work that was more abstract, more architectural.

With Pele it all changed. The resin work blended into the metal and it became a harmonious whole. As a sculptural expression it represents our own human presence while parts of us remain hidden or only partly accessible. As such the metal represents the parts of ourselves that we might feel uncomfortable with, or the parts of ourselves that we struggle to get to terms with. When we consider the parts as loose elements disconnected from the whole it seems alien and abstract. It is only in combination that the parts makes sense and owns its identity as part of a bigger whole.

As individuals we are faced with the same processes of alienation from self and others as opposed to the integration and blending with the things that our environment presents to us. While alienation brings moments of freedom and comfort, it is the richness of being part of something that ultimately builds character and identity. As such Pele (the Sesotho word for "first") is the first of her kind and represents her kind and at the same time, all of us.

Resin Steel

Detail
Tags

Rudolf Bitzer

Details:
Signed
Epoxy, mild steel, Duco
370 mm x 140 mm x 210 mm

Description:
Being formally involved with sculpting for the last three years brought Rudolf to a point where his work needed to change. The origins of his work were in ceramics, but epoxy resin in combination with mild steel became a favourite medium of expression.

In the past the resin figures were organic, in sharp contrast with the metal work that was more abstract, more architectural.

With Pele it all changed. The resin work blended into the metal and it became a harmonious whole. As a sculptural expression it represents our own human presence while parts of us remain hidden or only partly accessible. As such the metal represents the parts of ourselves that we might feel uncomfortable with, or the parts of ourselves that we struggle to get to terms with. When we consider the parts as loose elements disconnected from the whole it seems alien and abstract. It is only in combination that the parts makes sense and owns its identity as part of a bigger whole.

As individuals we are faced with the same processes of alienation from self and others as opposed to the integration and blending with the things that our environment presents to us. While alienation brings moments of freedom and comfort, it is the richness of being part of something that ultimately builds character and identity. As such Pele (the Sesotho word for "first") is the first of her kind and represents her kind and at the same time, all of us.

Resin Steel