The talented Altos de Chavón artist, Alexander Lumsden, who presented his collection of paintings and sculptures to the Casa de Campo community in November has now turned his talents to the creation of portraits, in the form of sculptured heads.
Having successfully taken part in the ‘Artists in Residence’ art exhibit in Altos de Chavon last November, the Altos de Chavon Gallery offered Alexander the opportunity to once more exhibit and take part in the next ‘Artists In Residence Show’ on Thursday the 28th of April, alongside, American painter Stacy Mohammed (MFA Boston University).
During his stay here in the Dominican Republic, Alexander has pursued his plan to explore the relevance of the human figure in 21st century art. Along that journey, Alexander got passionate about creating portrait sculptures in clay, and linking the classical method of sculpture to the digital world of today, a world filled with digital cameras and digital video to preserve people’s faces.
He explains:
“As a painter, you appreciate what it means to ‘be in the moment’, where hand, eye, and mind need to be aligned to make a good piece of art. However, when it comes to sculpting a head, and in capturing the likeness of another human being, you’re entering a different arena. It’s a place of constant negotiation and interpretation, where you must perform at the top of your game to take advantage of every second with the sitter. Compared to portrait painting, or photography for that matter, in sculpture it really does take two to make a good portrait. It’s a fascinating experience filled with intriguing conversations, which helps me as an artist to look beyond the obvious and get under the skin of the sitter. And hopefully create a finished piece that will bring people to that transcendental place that only art can.”
Among the various sitters during the past couple of months, Alexander was the first sculptor to have the privilege of scultping Stephen Kaplan, Rector Altos de Chavon School of Design. Furthermore, American artist and Director of the Parsons Department of Visual Arts (New York), Kianga Ford sat for her portrait. Both portraits will be on display amongst others ,during the show 28th April (next week!)
Art-lover and much-loved Casa de Campo resident Miguel Magdol, purchased one of Alex’s pieces at his last show, and here Michael tells is what he loves about Alex’s work:
“We were immediately struck by the sense of a lithe spirit when we viewed your sculpture. It expresses a sense of daring and freedom that captured us and those of our friends and family who have seen it. We look forward to seeing more of your work while it is still affordable to us and before your work is being displayed at major collections!”
Next Stop: London Olympics 2012!!
Back in the year 2000, Alexander was living and studying in Australia and was amazed by the way Sydney was transformed during and running up to the Sydney Olympics. With this in mind Alexander is moving to London this August to set up a studio. He says: “Although I feel that the Berlin art scene is still the hottest, London is quickly gaining fresh ground. With massive cultural efforts being made by London Borough Council and the private sector, it should make for some very exciting times ahead.”
If you like Alex’s work and are interested in sitting to have your own head sculptured, then contact Alex! Alexander Lumsden
Tel: +1 829 32 5 1977 Email: tycoono@hotmail.com
And now Alex would like to share a few words with you:
“I know that many of the good people in Casa de Campo will be heading back to their respective homes after Semana Santa, so I’d like to leave you with these few words. Altos the Chavon School of Design (affiliated with Parsons School of Design New School, home of Project Runway, and numerous Altos de Chavon scholarship students) was established with one object in mind – to give every talented Dominican student an equal chance to be a contender in the world of fine arts and design. Having seen and lived the Chavón experience, I’ve seen how the school’s work has helped and changed peoples’ lives, from gaining employment in the local market, to rocketing some into the international arena. If you want to help make a difference, please get in contact with the institution. You will never regret it.”
Spanish
