Viewing Stone

White marble, draped like silk, forms a rectangular window resembling the character '回' (return/circulate). The hardness of the stone and the softness of the lines and surfaces endlessly spiral, much like the cycle of life and death in nature. As the gaze shifts, the rectangle transforms into a triangle, disappearing and reappearing, turning the sculpted space into a viewing window. Through this window, the scenery and meaning behind the sculpture merge with the artwork itself, interlinking, creating boundless vistas! Artist Introduction: Karen Van Ommeren. Personal Background: 2011 Oslo Sculpture Park, Norway; 2011 10th Jahre Bildhauer Workshop, Germany; 2011 BenQ International Sculpture Workshop. Artist's Statement: Pietrasanta is a small town in the Province of Lucca, on the edge of Tuscany, Italy, situated at the foot of the Apuan Alps, just a few kilometers from Carrara. It is known as Italy's 'Little Athens' because for centuries, artists from all over the world have come here to create their stone or bronze sculptures. Since the 15th century, Pietrasanta has been famous for its marble, and excellent stonemasonry has always been a tradition here. The town also possesses a large quantity of high-quality bronze suitable for artistic creation. Even today, sculptors still come to Pietrasanta to rent spaces in workshops for their long-term or short-term creations. However, now precise computer-aided instruments are used as creative tools; the traditional imagery of sculpting with hammers and chisels is now a thing of the past. This town has always held significance for my work. The knowledge of the artisans, the countless varieties of stone, and the tradition of stone carving deeply intertwined with the lives of Pietrasanta's local people – these are all sources of my inspiration. This world is made of stone, and among them, my favorite is granite. Granite itself originates from magma, a molten rock mixture flowing beneath the Earth's surface. As the magma slowly cools under constant pressure, crystals evolve from different minerals. These minerals give the stone its color, which is why granite comes in various hues. Thousands of years ago, these stones had already formed deep within the Earth's crust.