BEN YOUNG SENTIMENTS OF THE SUBLIME
PHOTO BY JANE KEAM
The sublime experience of contemplating the comparative vastness of nature is an experience, both grounding and awe-inspiring. It is this experience, the power of the landscape - and the sea in particular - to dwarf mankind and the nostalgia of being in and at one with nature that is captured in this exhibition. To be alone on a cliff face aware of one’s insignificance, to be alone in a small boat and still with just the lapping of the water against the boat – these personal experiences are immortalized and personified in the small, lone figurines in Young’s work. These characters create a narrative that is viewer dependent. His work thus explores the contrast between what can be intimate and nostalgic memories and the universal experience of contemplating the wonder and power of nature. ABOUT BEN YOUNG Residing in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, Ben Young (b. 1982) is a self-taught artist who has been making glass sculpture for over 15 years and has exhibited alongside well-known glass artists both internationally and in Australia. Having spent most of his life in the beautiful Bay of Plenty (North Island, NZ) it seemed natural for Young to explore the local landscape and surroundings for early inspiration in his art. A keen surfer and a boat builder by profession, he is largely influenced by the ocean and brings these passions together in his evocative glass forms. Each of Young’s sculptural works are hand drawn, hand cut and handcrafted from clear sheet float glass, then laminated layer upon layer to create the final form. He constructs models, draws templates, makes custom jigs and then cuts the layers with a glazier’s hand-tool. The complexity comes from the planning phase, where he says ‘I do a lot of thinking before I even start to draw or cut’. He then sketches the concept by hand and creates a plan using traditional technical drawing techniques: “I work with 2D shapes and have to figure out how to translate that into a 3D finished piece. Sometimes my starting point changes dramatically as I have to find a way to layer the glass to create certain shapes.”
ALOFT, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND BRONZE H60 X W30 X D15.5 CM
AT THE HELM, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND BRONZE H30 X W47 X D17.5 CM
THE DIVIDE, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS & CONCRETE H37.5 X W93 X D16.5 CM
EYE OF THE STORM, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND BRONZE H28.5 X W25 X D24 CM
FIVE DAYS FROM NOWHERE, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE AND BRONZE H32.5 X W30 X D20 CM
SAIL ON SILVER GIRL, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND BRONZE H35 X W34 X D15.5 CM
SHEER DESCENT, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE AND STAINLESS STEEL H62 X W19.5 X D19.5 CM
SOLITARY CATCH AWAITS, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND BRONZE H30 X W30 X D18 CM
SOMETHING SHARED, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE AND BRONZE H64 X W26 X D18.5 CM
STORMY SECTIONS, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND LED H42.5 X W25 X D15 CM
SUB ALPINE, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND LED H60 X W60 X D17 CM
SUBMERGED FOLDS, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL H60 X W35 X D30 CM
WATCHFUL GAZE, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, STAINLESS STEEL AND BRONZE H37.5 X W60 X D28.5 CM
BLOWING IN THE WIND, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, BRONZE AND STAINLESS STEEL H80 X W80 X D10 CM
RISING FROM THE DEEP, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, BRONZE AND STAINLESS STEEL H80 X W80 X D10 CM
LONGING, 2017 LAMINATED FLOAT GLASS, CONCRETE, BRONZE AND STAINLESS STEEL H80 X W80 X D10 CM
PHOTO BY JANE KEAM
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