Striving

Human beings — wedged between spirit and matter. Firmly anchored in habits, in genetically predetermined traits, and yet emotionally destined for something higher.

Our foundation is earthy, shaped by instinct and by impulses that seem almost impossible to overcome. And still, time and again, we pull forcefully at our own lives, trying to steer them in a direction of our choosing. The sky calls to us, the open field, freedom itself.

In my sculpture, the human figure breaks away from its own foundation, expanding into freedom through an elemental force that pushes upward — only to remember, at its peak, the very origin that made this ascent possible.

This dynamic is already present in the act of creation. Beginning with an excessive exertion of force, the welding torch destroys the previously built steel framework and coats it with liquid bronze. The cone, melting into a compact mass, rises slowly yet inevitably. A striving upward, within which the idea of a human form begins to emerge.

Legs, hips, spine, ribcage seem to grow together. The torso bears witness to my own physical effort. Bent backward and twisted, it seeks to free itself from its foundation.

My vision becomes increasingly precise. Grinding, welding, hammering, and perceiving soon happen almost automatically, while my mind races ahead. One arm stretches powerfully backward; its counterpart, like the head, is shaped intuitively by my imagination, no longer essential for the ascent that has already begun.

An explosion of emotion dissolves the form. A warmth spreads in all directions — and with it the arm that has become a symbol of my longing for freedom. It thrusts upward, sweeping over the figure, until it finally comes to rest, focusing with pleasure on the glowing path of life ahead.