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拍品專文
‘Simplicity is my philosophy,’ said Egyptian auto-dictate Ahmed Askalany of his works and of the way of approaching them. His subjects are simplified human and animal forms inspired by his hometown of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. Born in 1978, Askalany’s work preserves the unequivocal assembly of traditional materials and craft methods associated with the ancient cultures of Egypt, while still giving them a sense of uniqueness and naiveté. His love of sculpture dates from the early years of his childhood. In the sculptures that initially brought him to fame, he used a core iron frame, which was then covered with palm leaves. This technique evolved into sculptures that are made solely out of bronze.
The particularity of this present lot emerges from the idea of sculpting a unique bronze version of a 'thinker'. This form has been associated with a worldly culture in reference to one of the most recognised icons of philosophy and disciplines, Le Penseur ('The Thinker') by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, which has inspired artists worldwide for over a century. Askalany’s work is distinguished by accustomed aesthetic forms that place prominence on structure and volume alike, but in his Thinker, proportions are distorted with a minuscule head protruded from a colossal body. Askalany's version of the Thinker possesses a sense of purity while simultaneously touching on aspects of isolation reflecting on both frankness and candor. Ironically, for Askalany, a small head refers to a small mind, emphasizing on the little attention and space given to the thought processes concerning the social status in Egypt. Meanwhile, the large, voluptuous bodies could represent indulgence and excess that speaks directly to the political state of the Middle East, specifically the state he knows best, that of his home country, Egypt.
Creating this piece in the time leading up to the revolutions in Egypt and eventually the Arab Spring, Askalany’s thoughts are described through his oeuvre on the current state of the time. His work displays fragility and humanity breaking free of the constraints of darkness and violence. He challenges the limitations of arts and crafts and applying them to a complex, contemporary practice, which ultimately communicates the lack of sustainability in politics, particularly in the Middle East.
The particularity of this present lot emerges from the idea of sculpting a unique bronze version of a 'thinker'. This form has been associated with a worldly culture in reference to one of the most recognised icons of philosophy and disciplines, Le Penseur ('The Thinker') by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, which has inspired artists worldwide for over a century. Askalany’s work is distinguished by accustomed aesthetic forms that place prominence on structure and volume alike, but in his Thinker, proportions are distorted with a minuscule head protruded from a colossal body. Askalany's version of the Thinker possesses a sense of purity while simultaneously touching on aspects of isolation reflecting on both frankness and candor. Ironically, for Askalany, a small head refers to a small mind, emphasizing on the little attention and space given to the thought processes concerning the social status in Egypt. Meanwhile, the large, voluptuous bodies could represent indulgence and excess that speaks directly to the political state of the Middle East, specifically the state he knows best, that of his home country, Egypt.
Creating this piece in the time leading up to the revolutions in Egypt and eventually the Arab Spring, Askalany’s thoughts are described through his oeuvre on the current state of the time. His work displays fragility and humanity breaking free of the constraints of darkness and violence. He challenges the limitations of arts and crafts and applying them to a complex, contemporary practice, which ultimately communicates the lack of sustainability in politics, particularly in the Middle East.