Wrestlers, Installation view, Porcelain and black clay 60 x90 x50cm, 2001
Oil on canvas, 150x 150cm, 2002
Charcoal on paper, 210x 210cm, 2002
Ink on paper and on wall, 22x22 cm, 600x 310cm, 2002
Oil on canvas, 150x 150cm, 2002
Charcoal on paper, 210x 210cm, 2002
Ink on paper and on wall, 22x22 cm, 600x 310cm, 2002
Summum-Sumo (2000-2002)
This body of work was produced in Japan where my fascination with the quality and the beauty of their natural clays and porcelains alongside the spectacle/ Art fighting form of Sumo translated into this collection. Summum-Sumo focuses in the ritual dimension of the ancient tradition of Sumo wrestling.
Twenty one porcelain and clay pieces, eleven works on canvas and twenty two works on paper contrasted popular contemporary wrestlers presented in a black and white portrayed as ancient nearly primitive expressions, with the intention of exploring the mythical dimension of their Art. The aim is to bridge the personal identity of contemporary Sumo wrestlers with the ancient warriors they are evoking and impersonating on the rituals -such as throwing salt or stomping the ground- before their contest. The states of trance and heightened states of consciousness they enter to perform their best in these events is something this collection aspires to grasp.
The word Summum comes from the Latin -top or ultimate- is contrasted with Sumo in the title not only for the grandiose quality of the nearly sacred dimension of the Sumo event but also to enhance an state of delicate balance between opposite forces which takes place in within the contest where at times the dramatic clash of forces resumes in very gracious and nearly effortless resolutions.
The clay and porcelain sculptures portray the softness and hardness of the sumo wrestlers, modelled hollow. The cracked bodies contrast the strength of their gestures with the fragility of the materials. The paintings executed in a simple gesture illustrate the art of calligraphy, with a mixture of simple colours try to capture the personality of the wrestles, enhancing the three dimensionality, lightness and weight of their extremely strong jet soft bodies.
Twenty one porcelain and clay pieces, eleven works on canvas and twenty two works on paper contrasted popular contemporary wrestlers presented in a black and white portrayed as ancient nearly primitive expressions, with the intention of exploring the mythical dimension of their Art. The aim is to bridge the personal identity of contemporary Sumo wrestlers with the ancient warriors they are evoking and impersonating on the rituals -such as throwing salt or stomping the ground- before their contest. The states of trance and heightened states of consciousness they enter to perform their best in these events is something this collection aspires to grasp.
The word Summum comes from the Latin -top or ultimate- is contrasted with Sumo in the title not only for the grandiose quality of the nearly sacred dimension of the Sumo event but also to enhance an state of delicate balance between opposite forces which takes place in within the contest where at times the dramatic clash of forces resumes in very gracious and nearly effortless resolutions.
The clay and porcelain sculptures portray the softness and hardness of the sumo wrestlers, modelled hollow. The cracked bodies contrast the strength of their gestures with the fragility of the materials. The paintings executed in a simple gesture illustrate the art of calligraphy, with a mixture of simple colours try to capture the personality of the wrestles, enhancing the three dimensionality, lightness and weight of their extremely strong jet soft bodies.