A Witness Sculpture

This figure is hand cast in urethane resin and painted with acrylic paints. It is pretty light and unbreakable. The stand comes with the figure. “Witnesses” is inspired by statues known collectively as the Tell Asmar Hoard (Early Dynastic I-II, ca. 2900–2550 BC). They are famous for having wide eyes and a sense of humble attentiveness. The clean simplicity of my sculptures offers a vast space in which to expand our minds. We can see a profound innocence and a compassionate gaze in their eyes, that never forces us to venture too deeply into them. This instead leaves it entirely up to us as how deeply we’d like to get lost in that innocent, sympathetic gaze. Furthermore, by sculpting “Witnesses,” I place myself in other people’s eyes. I can feel their pain, sorrow, hope, joy, loss, and vulnerability; challenging my own belief system. “Witnesses” are small simplified figures, with an emphasis on faces. They are smaller than actual human size. I used air-dry clay for modelling, silicon for mould making and urethane resin for casting them. They meant to move people to feel intense emotions. The pieces don’t have a specific identity; instead, they are symbolic representations of different types of people who are emanating their feelings of wonder for the glory of life. With the collection, I invite viewers to try to experience the Witnesses’ sentiments. I want to challenge people to find answers to the Witnesses’ Enigmas, why are they so astonished? What are they gazing at? What are they witnessing? The viewers stare at my sculptures, and the statues will be staring right back at them. The best way to feel these intense emotions is to look and contemplate to see the visceral deep. The more audiences engage with the installations, the more the feelings shall emanate and propagate through them; unifying the creation and the audience. I believe human need to recall the past in the present moment. By creating these pieces, I aimed to visualize the concept of humanism, with a focus on the value of the human condition. The capacity of this includes a sense of worth and dignity from Renaissance art and philosophy in the modern sense. We can then compare these attributes with the vulnerability of humanity and the dehumanizing aspect of becoming a number in today’s society. The materiality of these pieces reflects the Renaissance medium in a reconceptualized contemporary form.