This work was inspired by the death of my only uncle – the one of my father’s four brothers whom I was fortunate enough to get to know whilst he was still alive. The first sculpture was created as a way of coming to terms with this loss emotionally. Then the forest started to grow.
Clearings are open, treeless areas within a forest. They arise naturally as buffer zones between different microclimates. Due to historical sources, they have traditionally been gathering places for people living in the woods. Here, people would gather, make decisions, fight, pass judgement, celebrate, remember and worship.
The eight stelae, made of black locust wood and untreated steel, were shaped with a chainsaw, flame-treated and then gilded with gold leaf. The work explores personal experiences of loss, shamanism, faith, contemporary methods of shadow work and the artist’s growing interest in malleable materials.
This work resonates? Check other related artworks like the ongoing Found objects series or the singular Im Zentrum.