Artist Statement

A thread runs through the work linking the pieces, best described by the notion of the eternal tree as a metaphor for the idea that we are nature and nature is us. Linked in every way. What is one is also the other. Discovering nature as ourselves has found our place as participant, not as an unconnected force but remembered from within. Precisely what that thread is or where it is taking me is unknown to me. The content of this journey is revealed by way of each work, so it is both intriguing and unknowable at the same time. Words regarding the work tend to dilute. The sculpture feels connected, as if it should "be". The forms have taken on some kind of pertinent presence. I always sense a kind of familiarity in the work, when I feel ecstatic about it. Recently made pieces have that about them. Explanations miss the point. The forms are simply there. It has a presence but requests no explanation. Little point in wondering what it's for. The sculpture does not require a response and is neither self conscious nor invasive. It is silent, but that does not mean nothing is said. Engagement and participation are encouraged by a slow and contemplative passage through the sculpture. Negotiating a way into the piece, you may discover surprising connections.

In 1998, I made a sculpture called Garden of Eden and a number of installations since have made reference to the idea of a garden. The Garden as metaphor for the environment.

Ken Scarlett, well-known curator and arts writer pointed out in his essay, A Sculptural Journey published in a catalogue of my work called Images in the Mirror.

"The virginal, pure white of the work is somewhat misleading, for the Garden of Eden has been defiled, there is a hidden cynicism, an implied criticism of society and it's neglect of the environment".

So if it happens that an artist "says" something he does so by subjecting content to invention and metaphor. Everything reminds us of something, intended or not, and if he is to get through to his artistic freedom he must break away from whatever went before. Especially in his own work, take another step, move on, don't remain in the same place, take a chance. Art is not made in a comfort zone. Keenness of vision is a means to an end, that end being the transformation of things seen in a coherent and personal universe. So what you make of it depends on the keenness of your personal vision.

Adrian Mauriks
January 2011