In conversation with Pieter Obels

Raphael Roy Taylor

Obels' sculptures, despite their industrial craftsmanship, embody a sense of elegance and lightness not commonly associated with large-scale steel installations.

 The founding inspiration for his current practice was growing up on a farm in the Netherlands, where the rust of machinery in the fields, rather than taking away from the natural beauty of the scene, often enhanced the feeling of stillness present within organic landscapes.

His works appear hewn from a single triangular beam of rusted steel, forged as one shape. Their scale and form render the idea of them being made almost unbelievable.

 Obels refuses to draw or sketch out each sculpture before constructing it, instead believing in the fluid ability of his sculptures to take shape in a form that seems to defy nature.

 Each sculpture is constructed from panels of Corten steel, welded together so intricately that the joins are unnoticeable. Chosen because of its proclivity to rust, Obels then leaves the sculptures outside or showers them with water to ensure the oxidation of the surface.

The rust, which darkens and patinas with time, enhances the form of the sculpture itself. A reflective metal would almost disappear into the environment around it, whereas Obels’ forms emulate the same contrast as the machinery he encountered in his childhood.

 The organic perfection of his sculptures is difficult to encapsulate. What best demonstrates it is the awe of the visitors who touched the almost impossibly balanced creation and found it moved effortlessly.

 Obels' capability is remarkable- alone in his studio, he produces multiple sculptures a month, each perfectly balanced without intricate planning.

 His certainty of success enables their creation to be organic, at once a contrast to the natural landscapes his sculptures are often surrounded by and an embodiment of them.

Pieter Obels | Feng Xiao-Min open at the Opera Gallery in London until the 5th of July

Images courtesy of Opera Gallery