14 September 2023
It is mind boggling that there are sculptors such as Regardt van der Meulen who are blessed with the inherent intellect and skill to transform raw mild steel into things of beauty and intrigue.
His works are essentially deconstructed metal sculptures which appear to disintegrate before one’s very eyes.
He is based in Johannesburg and he was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Cape Town in 2008.
It can be difficult to adequately describe an artist’s motivation and practice and in this case it is best left to Regardt to put it in his own words: “I am intrigued by not only the decay of human life but also the erosion of our surroundings. Through all stages of birth, growth, fruition and death the inevitable element of decay and mortality is present. People habitually live with a misled sense of security, the illusion that our environment or civilisation is dependable and static. Often times the dangers and violence of the current world we live in interrupts and the illusion of safety is exposed.
The sculptures are metaphors for not only the vulnerability of one’s physical body but also one’s emotional and mental state. I used steel as a medium which is usually associated with the impression of unmoving strength. I sculpted each figure in a way that creates the notion that they are incomplete, melting or being pulled apart, deconstructed by a force either from within or without.”
All images courtesy of Regardt van der Meulen