The Art Dubai located in Madinat Jumeirah, held between March 21st until March 24th 2018 was a great experience!
Above is a short video that I collated of certain highlights of the art exhibition. Everything was exceptional but these were few of the art pieces that stood out to me.
Hans Op de Beeck, Vanitas Table(peacock), 2017. Image taken and owned by author.
This piece called the Vanitas Table (Peacock) made by Hans Op de Beeck, is a solid sculpture made using polyester, plaster, polyamide and metal in dimensions 181 x 90 x 70 cm. Standing tall on a table and centered alongside other 2-dimensional masterpieces displayed on walls, this work of art particularly caught my interest. Although it lacks color and is dulled with a grey hue, I believe every single element holds significant value that contributes to its overall presentation and meaning.
The form of the overall art piece is a 3-dimensional art sculpture with various elements such as objects - that have been sculpted - placed in a compositional manner. The most prominent objects include a skull, a candle stand, pots, cigarettes buds in an ash tray, and open book and writing materials, a cup of coffee, newspaper stack and of course, a peacock on a broken tree branch. All these elements have a very realistic appeal, almost as if they are actual ceramic-like objects placed on the table. The textures given to each object proves that Beeck sculpted every form of detail and technique with utmost precision, especially to the feathers of the peacock.
Moreover, in terms of cultural significance this sculpture can be interpreted and analyzed with different perceptions, synonymous to the multiple perspectives it can be literally and metaphorically viewed in (since it’s a 3D artwork). To begin with, the objects placed on the table such as the skull and cigarette buds metaphorically denote the meaning of life through struggles and hardships, and that life has its stories that must be recorded through words in a book, possibly a ‘diary’ or a ‘journal’. The stack of ‘newspaper’ can imply that being well versed and up-to-date has become a social norm, possibly ‘under’ the influence of social hindrance from different societies and the struggle to live peacefully in the midst of corruption. To narrow this down, this entire sculpture can be a reflection of depression faced within society, where taking each step everyday is harder than it used to be – hence the cigarette buds, skull and lack of color. The cup of coffee can symbolize how dedication and perseverance will finally pay off at the end. Since coffee contains caffeine that alerts the brain and keeps a human’s mind more active and awake, it could depict sleepless nights worth of hard work and effort, thus exemplifying a sign of hope intensified through the candle stand (light in the darkness). And lastly, the peacock holds a cultural significance of being a symbol of integrity and a sign of beauty (spur of color when a peacock opens its feathers) manifested when one achieves their dreams. It is a sign of decency, sacredness, guidance and protection, and in times of hardships, is the only source of encouragement and motivation (Avia, n.d., p.1).
In an interview with Beeck, he was questioned on his perception on death. Since his work revolves around the theme of "impermanence", he states that "every novel, every song, every movie, every painting that has depth and layers exudes a reflection on death" (acourseindying, 2016, p.1). The theme of death lingers and just "creeps" itself into any artwork (acourseindying, 2016, p.1), giving his artwork more liberation to expression.
It is a work of art to be looked at and analyzed but the beauty of it lies in how it is interpreted by different minds. The artist might have only wished to mean one thing but the end result can be ambiguous.
Hand Sculpture (in process), made and owned by author.
This reminds me of a similar art sculpture that I had once tried out with clay and paper marche in roughly around the dimensions 22 x 15 x 10 cm. The various angles below show the 3-dimensional viewpoint of my sculpture of a hand. Coincidentally, I had made similar objects such as the skull, cigarette buds and candle, but included more such as a lipstick, a broken house, roses, piano steps and bricks. Although I had no intention in mind while I first began sculpting it, it did turn out to be an artwork worth a deeper meaning, for which I leave ambiguous.
Being my first trial with clay and paper marche, I would say that the outcome did turn out pretty well considering how I had no prior experience with physical modelling. However, it is not as sophisticated or of exceptional quality as the ones displayed at the Art Exhibition. Nevertheless, I do hope that I can someday be able to display some of my artwork at an art gallery.
Therefore, since I had tried out a similar art form in the past, I am better able to understand the significance of other alike artworks in this stream, moreover because it lies in the field of 3D animation and art.
References:
Acourseindying (2016, December 5). Interview - Hans Op de Beeck. Retrieved from http://acourseindying.com/interview-hans-op-de-beeck/
Avia (n.d.) Peacock Symbolism and Meaning. Retrieved from http://www.whats-your-sign.com/peacock-symbolism.html
Zeck, E. (2017, June 21) Emily Zeck - Two Cents (Ice Cream Song) [MUSIC VIDEO]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hanltvpJOg8
I like your writing style)) Also it was interesting to read your own view of this sculpture and the way how you connected it with research. Well done work!
I would say that the objects that were designed are quite similar to modern day objects. Since the theme of "death" is what's made explicitly evident, I believe its a contemporary theme that is now being strongly addressed and talked about. Hence even if it gives off an antique vibe to the sculpture, the objects do resemble the modern times, so yes, I think the message still remains the same.
Wonderful blog. It's funny, I caught an eye for this sculpture as well during the exhibit but didn't quite think about it much and the meaning behind it; what you provided was really informative! Love the sculpture you made as well. Curious to know if you think the sculpture would give the same message if the objects were designed to look like the objects we have in the modern time?