Sacrum - 230cm
Sacrum - 2022
Stringybark & Mild Steel
230cm x 50cm x 35cm
Made from the centre slab of a gnarly, old and twisted Stringybark, the wood itself greatly contributed to the creative process. Carved green, the stresses in the material released as it dried, giving the work it’s distinctive quality.
The thin steel support flexes with the smallest vibration, the lightest breeze, the softest touch - a truck going down the street, a child brushing by it or a summer breeze will trigger its pendulum motion.
Just as the tree that it once was a part of, swayed for decades , weathering storms, tremors, falling neighbours and passing wildlife.
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About the artist
BIO
Lucas Guilbert is an emerging sculptor based in Melbourne, Australia. Raised in Montreal, his multicultural background deeply influenced his artistic practice and philosophy. After extensive travels, Guilbert settled in Australia in 2007 and was inspired by the unique landscape and cultural paradigms of his new home. Guilbert's woodcarving technique allows him to explore the relationship between wood and place, and he uses the sculptural process as a means of introspective, meditative self-exploration.
Primarily self-taught, Guilbert began carving wood in his early life and has had the privilege of learning from master craftsmen. He has refined his artistic style in recent years, and his work has been showcased in group exhibitions, various galleries, and art competitions around the country. Guilbert has also participated in several art residencies, gaining valuable experience and exposure. Guilbert's current artistic vision involves creating larger, site-specific public artworks, as well as finely crafted small and medium objects appropriate for local and international exhibitions. His unique approach to sculpture, informed by his personal experiences and appreciation for nature, is earning him recognition within the art world. Guilbert continues to evolve his practice with a keen eye towards the future.
ARTIST STATEMENTI create sculptures that aim to evoke profound contemplation and resonate with my audience. I use wood as my primary medium and draw inspiration from the organic shapes found in nature. My fascination with wood has driven me to explore all ecological regions of the continent in search of exceptional pieces of timber. To achieve the desired effect on the material, I employ a range of techniques, such as burning, charring, brushing, distressing, oiling, buffing, bleaching, ageing, dyeing, and quenching. The natural beauty of wood enhances the organic forms of my sculptures, and I often include raw steel or brass, resulting in genuinely singular pieces.
My goal is for my sculptural forms to be larger than life and to offer an awakening of an ancestral and mythical response in an urbanized context. I seek to challenge our relationship to the wild by reinstating the unapologetic elements of natural beauty in a hyper-modern world.
My passion for sculpture is deeply rooted in my love for nature and human cultures. My sculptures have been exhibited in galleries, shows, and outdoor installations, and I have been commissioned to create site-specific sculptures for private art collections.
As I work away with my tools, the trees I use reveal an archaeology of sorts, with years of archived photons, captured carbon, and countless external events - an exquisite balance of growth and decay. My works seek to encourage a discourse between the ecological and the man-made, between the natural, external sphere, and the human, inner sphere.
I currently operate a gallery and workshop in the Docklands, near Melbourne's CBD, and my works are exhibited around the country. I continue to evolve my practice with a keen eye towards the future, with a vision that involves creating larger, site-specific public artworks, as well as finely crafted small and medium objects appropriate for local and international exhibitions.
