Power
Klibansky's World of Art
Every week, MASTERS spotlights an iconic work by Joseph Klibansky in this four-part series. Joseph explains: "My art is a reflection on society. I highlight certain things and enlarge them into monumental images. I return them to society so viewers can pause and reflect."
Every week, MASTERS highlights the iconic works of art by Joseph Klibansky in this four-part series. Joseph says: “My art is a reflection on society. I highlight certain things and blow them up in the form of a monumental image. I put that back into society so that viewers can have a moment of reflection." Text: Bart - Jan Brouwer
Online editorial: Noa Verseveldt
Image: Joseph Klibansky studio
BEYOND THE CLOUDS – THE SCULPTURE (2021)
“I built this sculpture for a brand new area development in China. Offices and shops are being built there and subways are being constructed. The client is Vanke, the fifth largest real estate developer in China. A huge project. The developers wanted a large work of art at a busy intersection, where everyone passes by. A work of art makes the environment livable, without it it remains sterile. The statue, made of stainless steel and with highly polished bronze clouds, reaches out to the galaxy with its eight meters. It fits within the astronaut theme. I would also love to go into space myself. If it becomes available and some people have already been there before me, I will buy a ticket. I would really be willing to pay a hundred thousand dollars for that.”
VALLEY OF THE KINGS (2021)
“My most recent work is by far the most detailed we've ever made. I see astronauts as the Forefront of technology. Nothing is like that know more like the suits they wear. These must guarantee that they can survive in space. They explore the new frontiers, walk ahead of humanity to see if, for example, life is possible on Mars. In this artwork I have fused an astronaut with the mask of Tutankhamun, who, as the most iconic figure and most recognizable face from ancient Egypt, represents the oldest form of civilization for me. I use hieroglyphs on the artwork. These are not just some loose Egyptian characters, all the hieroglyphs used correspond to it Egyptian book of the dead (a collection of spells that went to the grave with the deceased with the aim of offering protection against dangers in the afterlife - a kind of travel guide for the journey through the underworld; ed.). That's why I worked with a professor of Egyptology. Looking through books, studying documents, doing research... We spent a year and a half creating this piece. The scale model is finished. I have the work Valley of the Kings baptized, because the intact tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was discovered there in 1922.”
GUIDED BY ANGELS (2017)
“My paintings are thought paintings, screenshots of thoughts I have over a certain period of time. I made this painting for my show in the Fundatie museum. That was a fairly turbulent time: one of my relationships ended. My emotions fluctuated between in love, angry and frustrated. I captured those moments of ups & downs in the painting like a Polaroid. My soul projected onto the canvas. This work (7,20 meters wide x 2,70 meters high) will hang in the apartment I just bought in Dubai. I want to invite people there to show how you can live with art. People often opt for practical formats, but if you really want to make a statement, hang a painting across the entire width of your living room. That's so powerful!
REFLECTIONS OF AN ANGEL (2021)
“A very detailed work of art, partly because the wings are made of feathers. The design takes time, but the physical production that follows can easily take a year: making scale models, making adjustments, going through the entire process of bronze casting... Pinocchio is a wooden doll that must be honest in order to earn a real boy to become. I find that very visual. We all go through life with certain wishes and goals. How do we walk that path to success? You can see that the nose has grown, so to get ahead he has used lies for his own good. But he still has his wings. People can make mistakes, but does that make them bad? How many mistakes do you have to make before you cross the line from good to bad?”
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