Sculptor forging his artistic identity at new exhibition

15 October 2018

Sculptor forging his artistic identity at new exhibition

The first public exhibition by a sculptor who specialises in forging and manipulating steel and recycled objects into works of art comes to Pātaka Gallery + Museum this weekend.

Kapiti artist Sebastien Jaunas, who is originally from France, has created specific artworks for his exhibition, Mirror: Reflections of the Soul, which begins this Saturday in Pātaka’s Toi Gallery.

Pātaka Contemporary Art Curator Mark Hutchins-Pond, said this would be the first time Jaunas had publicly shown his work since he made it to the finals of

the Wallace Awards, the biggest and best regarded national contemporary art awards, the last time it was held at Pātaka in 2016.

“Jaunas works bronze and forges recycled steel, ceramics, wood and recycled mixed media into a variety of unique artworks, that encourage the viewer to search inside themselves and try to discover their fundamental identity.

“His work came to prominence at the Wallace Awards, and we wanted to give him the chance to show off his artworks publicly for the first time.

The awards have been regularly hosted at Pātaka for more than a decade, except when the gallery underwent a thorough refit in 2017/2018.

“Jaunas has also created artworks specifically to fit the Toi Gallery space, making this exhibition a must-see for all fans of contemporary New Zealand art.”

Hutchins-Pond said through his work the sculptor explored the idea that people’s inner and outer selves were often quite different, with our external persona acting as a mask to protect the inner hidden and private self.

“His work explores the tensions between balance, space and movement.

“It is also strongly influenced by organic objects, New Zealand’s natural landscape, it’s urban cityscapes and the cultural life of cities.”

ENDS

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