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Lot Essay
Chaouki Choukini’s biomorphic sculptures range from expansive horizontal pieces to vertical, almost totem-like figures cast in wood or bronze. Choukini draws on elements from the natural environment and industrial processes to forge innovative modes of sculptural expression to investigate the boundaries and overlapping of ideas, materials, and shapes. Choukini’s artistic process often begins with a watercolour sketch. Though they are destined to be carved or cast in wood or bronze, the shapes that populate his sketches are not hard and brittle but feature soft lines and subtle hues, and show the artist’s skill in lending an organic softness to the severe geometric shapes of his work.
Inspired by the glint of sunlight on rocks in Lebanon, Choukini’s sculptures hinge the interplay between light and solid forms. Through Petit prince, enfant de Gaza (Little prince, child of Gaza), he endeavours to advance a fresh, abstracted comprehension of the human form, where the presence of human profile is a subtle facet of the entire sculptural composition. With this remarkably imposing and intricate bronze sculpture, the artist draws attention to the plight of children in war-torn Gaza. Petit prince, enfant de Gaza (Little prince, child of Gaza) in its fragmental sight of tension between edges, corners and cubist elements, symbolises the non-existence of youthful pleasures amidst the shadow of ravaging war. The sculpture becomes a potent platform through which the artist wordlessly conveys the tragedy and stark realities of absent childhood.
Born in 1947 in Choukine, a village in southern Lebanon, Chaouki Choukini’s interest in sculpture was developed early in his childhood while working as an apprentice in a local carpentry studio making toys out of wood. He subsequently studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts de Paris from 1967 to 1972. Prior to living and working between Paris and Normandy, where the artist continues to be based, in 1984, Choukini spent a year-long sojourn in Japan. This period left an indelible imprint on his artistic expression, as he drew profound inspiration from the ethos of Japanese minimalism. Choukini is a recipient of the Prix de la Jeune Sculpture in 1978, the Taylor Foundation Prize in 2010 and the Prix de la Fondation Pierre Gianadda, from de l’Academie des Beaux Arts, France in 2015. His works are held in important collections, such as Centre Pompidou, Paris; Institut du monde arabe, Paris; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, and Sharjah Art Foundation. He currently lives and works in Paris.
Inspired by the glint of sunlight on rocks in Lebanon, Choukini’s sculptures hinge the interplay between light and solid forms. Through Petit prince, enfant de Gaza (Little prince, child of Gaza), he endeavours to advance a fresh, abstracted comprehension of the human form, where the presence of human profile is a subtle facet of the entire sculptural composition. With this remarkably imposing and intricate bronze sculpture, the artist draws attention to the plight of children in war-torn Gaza. Petit prince, enfant de Gaza (Little prince, child of Gaza) in its fragmental sight of tension between edges, corners and cubist elements, symbolises the non-existence of youthful pleasures amidst the shadow of ravaging war. The sculpture becomes a potent platform through which the artist wordlessly conveys the tragedy and stark realities of absent childhood.
Born in 1947 in Choukine, a village in southern Lebanon, Chaouki Choukini’s interest in sculpture was developed early in his childhood while working as an apprentice in a local carpentry studio making toys out of wood. He subsequently studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts de Paris from 1967 to 1972. Prior to living and working between Paris and Normandy, where the artist continues to be based, in 1984, Choukini spent a year-long sojourn in Japan. This period left an indelible imprint on his artistic expression, as he drew profound inspiration from the ethos of Japanese minimalism. Choukini is a recipient of the Prix de la Jeune Sculpture in 1978, the Taylor Foundation Prize in 2010 and the Prix de la Fondation Pierre Gianadda, from de l’Academie des Beaux Arts, France in 2015. His works are held in important collections, such as Centre Pompidou, Paris; Institut du monde arabe, Paris; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, and Sharjah Art Foundation. He currently lives and works in Paris.