From 1 August to 29 August, the International Stone Sculpture Symposium “Stone as a Cultural Symbol” was held in Pedvāle Art Park, during which four sculptors created granite sculptures for the park’s permanent exhibition.
Ian Newbery (Sweeden) created a sculpture “Revenge of the Frog”. I. Newbery: “Out of respect for the viewers of my work, I like to give some keys so that they can perhaps enter my thoughts as I was making the work, but first let me say that visual art is a visual language that is far superior to verbal language. In my opinion visual art has been infected by a verbal virus that requires artists to explain deeply complicated ideas with words that are much too limited.
The key: By far the most important issues in this time that we now live, are the environmental issues. One species dominates the planet and takes too much of its resources, the humans. I am told that in Pedvāle a number of years ago, there was an abundance of frogs. Due to modern agriculture, pollution and over-exploitation of the environment, there are now nearly any frogs left. It is sad and this is just one example of our ignorance and arrogance.”
Alfridas Pajuodis (Lithuania) created a sculpture “Psalm of the Big X”. A. Pajuodis: “The composition of the sculpture consists of two mutually composed figures: X and 0 (an x and a zero). Two interrelated but opposite forces. Life as a game of “Noughts and crosses”. This variation of both signs in one place gives room for many interpretations. The upper part of the sculptural composition gives meaning and purpose to this game of life.”
Koike Mitsunori (Japan) created a sculpture “Less than itself”. K. Mitsunori: “My attempt this time is a superficially and ostensibly bombed and destroyed stone, which looks like a hole and scattered traces, representing the devastation of the haunted Ukrainians. We feel that we must do something for peace in Ukraine. The beauty and strength of the stone’s cracked “skin”. Also by carving into the inside of the stone, the stone will try to assert its existence anew, and the mass of the stone will decrease at the same time. Contrary to the smoothness of the surface, it has a roughness of granite inside.
The aim was to bring out the strength and beauty of the stone and enhance the presence of the stone itself. By losing itself the stone claims its own existence. Hundreds and thousands of years from now it will continue to exist as long as there is no nuclear war. It does not show the unnaturalness of human relationships, and just keeps standing quietly while a small stone as a symbol of rebirth is hidden in its body.”
Kristaps Andersons (Latvia) created a sculpture “A Being Sees Here”. K. Andersons: “I created the image of this sculpture inspired by an inner feeling about a boat sliding on the mirror surface of a lake. When I, as one unit, by looking into the clear water, can see another world that lives under the water. That is how my eyes sometimes feel looking in here. In the sculpture, I depict the boat as a bridge between this moment and the observer – a Being, the receiver of the eye lens and this space. A boat is as a bridge that connects.”
