10 Wooden Sculptures Of Children With A Powerful Message By Gehard Demetz
Gehard Demetz’s wooden sculptures of children often hold objects that draw from the themes of war and religion. His goal is to create a dialogue with his audience through his sulpting. He indicated to DeMilked in an interview, that he doesn’t give answers through his sculptures, but instead he hopes to stir reflection within the viewer through his powerful creations.
At the age of 14, the Italian-born artist began experimenting with carving. He explained, “It has been a dream [of mine] to become a sculptor since I was a child. I live in a valley that has over four hundred years of tradition in sacred art and I am surrounded by sacred art. That was my desire, to carve life-size figures of saints. This desire was fulfilled at a young age, it was a good way to earn a living, but I soon realised that this kind of art was not fulfilling.”
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Demetz elaborated that the inspiration for his work comes from what is going on in the world. He said, “An urge made me read a lot and the answers came fluently. I listen to the radio all day and some news or statements stick with me and it doesn’t always have to be top news.” His artistic focus is to delve into subjects that are modern and appeal to contemporary audiences. His sculptures of children aspire to this goal with their visually appealing demeanour. Yet there is a sense of disquietude prevalent in the rendering that is by no means rhetorical or classical.
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In a statement explaining his creative process, Demetz further revealed, “One of the most startling technical features is the construction using small woodblocks and juxtaposing finely polished parts to very rough and sketchy surfaces. This particular construction and treatment render his sculptures absolutely unique in the domain of contemporary wood sculpture and is partly responsible for the great curiosity aroused by the appearance of his work in the art world”.
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