Ottawa, OntarioKarl Ciesluk
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
My work relates to the theme of Human Fertility - a theme that has intrigued me since I was invited to take part in an international sculpture symposium in Ireland. While there, I was inspired while visiting numerous archaeological sites - especially by the ecological stone carvings called Sheela na gigs. These are found near or often built within the architecture of churches.
Sheela na gigs are small, stylized stone carvings of female genitals. There are a number of theories as to why they are made. One is that at the time Paganism was still strong and influenced people, so elements of their beliefs such as the Shee la na gigs were introduced into the church. It is thought that the Sheela na gigs are fertility symbols - a way to entice and appease the evil spirits so that the human population would be left undisturbed.
I researched past civilizations and their contributions to the theme of fertility, and find it fascinating to think that fertility symbols in human civilization date back to 30,000 BC. It is interesting to think that rock carvings of fertility symbols date back to these pre-historic times, showing mankind’s obsession human fertility. Artists today – me included – are still carrying on this traditional theme and still find it as great a mystery as ever.
I have been able to create some of this new work, as illustrated by my marble sculptures, entitled “Life Vessels”.
My fertility series is a celebration of life, growth and reproduction.
ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY
I was born in Ottawa, growing up in a country setting, which had a great influence on my artwork. My intrigue and curiosity with nature and its properties has become a lifelong passion, as evidenced in my art.
I started my art training at a special high school for art, and by the time I entered the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, I was solely concentrating on sculpture. At the art college, I became dissatisfied with the North American school system, and went to Europe to major in sculpture for six years at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, under Rudolf Hofflenher - a master craftsman whose work is part of the Tate Gallery collection in London.
This was a rewarding experience – one that enabled me to work with any materials and scale confidently. I developed from using these traditional sculptural methods and materials, to a non-traditional form through 25 years of experimentation. What I mean by a “non-traditional form” is removing the base from a sculpture, so that it becomes free to interact with its surroundings.
I consider myself an environmental artist, working with natural materials (snow, ice, fire, water, earth, grass, stone etc.), to integrate a piece of art into its environment so that it becomes one – in harmony with its surroundings. I believe art should be created for a specific site, and not just chosen for the sculpture’s esthetic qualities alone.
I have concentrated more in public art commissions and competitions than in exhibiting my work in galleries. My work has been shown at the International Contemporary Art Fair in Yokohama, Japan, and I have public sculptures in Europe, North and South America, and in Asia.
Besides being involved in commissioned work for public places, I’ve also attended Artist in Residence (AIR) Programs around the world, including Parson School of Design’s AIR program in the Dominican Republic, where I took advantage of the abundance of sunlight and crystal clear waters, creating under-water sculpture in the Caribbean Sea, and continuing my Passive Solar Sculpture Series. I attended the MacDowell AIR Program – the first established in the USA – working with the fall foliage in New Hampshire. Recently, I continued my Fertility Series at a UNESCO Heritage Park in Cappadochia, Turkey.
Some of the most noteworthy achievements in my artistic career include being invited to the World’s First International Water Sculpture Competition at the World’s Fair in New Orleans, participating with Richard Long, Christo, and Robert Smithson, among others, in the Kunstverein International Land Art Exhibition in Stuttgart, and creating my first land art commission for a sculpture trail in Berlin, which showcased world-renowned sculptors like Dennis Oppenheim.
