Aluminium Construction No. 1 (Giant)

Courtesy of the artist, Banca March and Xavier Hufkens Gallery.
© Photography: Pablo Gómez-Ogando.

Aluminium Construction N° 1 (Giant)

2008.
Cast aluminium, steel base.
267.0 x 254.0 x 177.8 cm / 105 x 100 x 70 in.
(HOUS-043-2008).
Private Collection.

Aluminium is a material the artist seldom uses. Here, its reflective silver surface lends the character a metallic, almost futuristic quality. The sculpture combines bi- and three-dimensional elements. The head is shaped in clay and first cast in plaster, then in aluminium.

The body is drawn on plywood, cut and assembled, and finally fabricated from aluminium sheets. The giant figure kneels as if resting before or after an effort, its movement briefly paused.

It appears both threatening and wounded. In contrast to the smooth surface of the body, the face floating above it is rugged - the only element that retains the molding gesture, the imprint of the artist’s hand in the clay.