Reliable Technology - tall, narrative, figurative, male, bronze sculpture
View Similar Items
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13
P. Roch SmithReliable Technology - tall, narrative, figurative, male, bronze sculpture2023
2023
About the Item
- Creator:P. Roch Smith (Canadian)
- Creation Year:2023
- Dimensions:Height: 62.5 in (158.75 cm)Width: 48 in (121.92 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Bloomfield, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU29112172112
P. Roch Smith
Canadian sculptor P. Roch Smith received a BFA (Honours Sculpture) from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (ECIAD - 1997) and an MFA from York University (2003). A teacher as well as an artist, he has taught classes at the University of Waterloo, ECIAD and York University. He currently manages and operates the bronze and aluminum foundry at York University. Roch Smith has exhibited throughout Canada and in the US. P. Roch Smith’s work is included in private, corporate and museum collections. P. Roch Smith’s work centres on the creativity of play, equilibrium and disequilibrium, and how memories are constructed and held in place - a geography of memory. Smith presents work in which the mass produced (plastic army figures – model kits - tools) are merged with the organic (tree branches, sisal twine and yarn). The figures are unified by bronze casting – fixing their hybridity in both a metaphoric and material manner. The relational nature of value is examined as the tiny scale of the bronze figures is the antithesis of monumentality usually associated with bronze as a sculptural material. While bronze casting normally speaks to permanence and the epic, the scale of these works creates a form of intimacy. Play has been theorized as a liminal space – occupying both the real and the imagined simultaneously. It is within this topography that Smith tries to point to certain aspects of the human condition. Does replacing the guns on toys with branches change the essential meaning of the situation? Is it absurd? Can a small figure evoke a sympathetic response or reaction? We manufacture toys with the intention of enabling children to play and the assumption is that this play is free, unencumbered and not contingent. Pulling back, however, it may be argued that the inherent structure of the toy itself echoes strictly adult concerns. Toys and play easily normalize certain ideas about one’s place in the greater scheme of things. Thankfully, children have also long subverted these rigid narrative structures. The altering of toys – drawing tattoos on a doll or shaving the “life-like” hair off of a GI Joe figure – is an aspirational act and speaks to claiming new narratives. As a maker, Smith maintains this drive to construct and model objects with a sense of playfulness. Ideally, the works are at turns humorous but also manage to evoke a pathos associated with labour, work and the monumentality of mundane tasks. The figures carry weight in both a literal and figurative manner beyond what should be their actual capacity. The scale of the works are important for their small-scale for they invite both a broad and intimate viewing. Viewing the work one enters a space of inspection – of being a giant in a land that is off-kilter – witness to a precarious balance.
About the Seller
4.9
Recognized Seller
These prestigious sellers are industry leaders and represent the highest echelon for item quality and design.
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 2003
1stDibs seller since 2013
333 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
More From This SellerView All
- Downhill (Knight Ave) - tall, narrative, figurative, male, bronze sculptureBy P. Roch SmithLocated in Bloomfield, ONThis fun and somewhat whimsical sculpture recalls a cherished childhood memory for Roch Smith. The Toronto-based sculptor has hand-forged the bronze figure of a young boy on a bike balancing upright on its back wheel-popping a wheelie. He stands poised to ride off the top of a high, narrow steel track that ends in a loop reminiscent of the popular ‘Hot Wheels’ toy race car...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Daily Grind - Patinated bronze cups stacked on a male figureBy P. Roch SmithLocated in Bloomfield, ONA tower of cups stacked face to face and end to end create a beautifully undulating formal column reminiscent of Brancusi's Endless Column. Precariously balanced on the shoulders of a small bronze figure...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Enlarging Perspective - Surreal stretched male figure in bronzeBy P. Roch SmithLocated in Bloomfield, ONIt’s a striking image—a man, standing—his legs impossibly long, his arms spread wide affording him, perhaps a new and bigger perspective. Is this the intention behind Toronto artist ...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
$6,560 Sale Price20% Off - The Contour of Balance - tall, figurative, bronze, steel, outdoor sculptureBy P. Roch SmithLocated in Bloomfield, ONAs a sculptor, Roch Smith often interprets the big questions in life in imaginative and playful ways. The Toronto artist is known for his use of toys –familiar childhood images that ...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsSteel, Bronze
- Soritical Loop - rustic, gothic, figurative, repurposed steel wall sculptureBy Dale DunningLocated in Bloomfield, ONIt is a striking piece. Canadian artist Dale Dunning is known for his intriguing sculptural metal ‘masks’ that use the image of a human head as a metaphor for our collective experien...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Positive Capability - large, rust, male figure, Corten steel outdoor sculptureBy Jason KimesLocated in Bloomfield, ONAmerican artist Jason Kimes is best known for his compelling and beautiful figurative outdoor work. This imposing sculpture (254 cm high) of a nude male in a classic yoga pose–arms c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsSteel
You May Also Like
- Growing in a Fragmented LandscapeBy Jennyfer StratmanLocated in Los Angeles, CAThere is a metaphorical interplay between the natural imagery international artist, Jennyfer Stratman, uses and its multiple meanings. While the human figure features strongly, it is...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMetal, Bronze, Enamel, Steel, Copper
- Cefiro - Renaissance Inspired Bronze Sculpture of an Acrobat set on Tall StandBy Jesus Curia PerezLocated in Chicago, ILCefiro is derived from the Spanish word for Zephyr, meaning a soft gentle wind which brings spring to the Mediterranean. The word also depicts beauty and playfulness. This figure p...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- A Step Ahead, monumentalBy Jim RennertLocated in Greenwich, CTAmerican, b. 1958 Jim Rennert was born in 1958, and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah. After ten trying years of working in business, Rennert was inspired to ex...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Family Tree II 3/8By Kevin BoxLocated in Napa, CAPainted cast stainless steel, patinated bronze, granite base “It took two years of tireless experimentation for me to develop the process of casting paper into bronze, another seven...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsGranite, Bronze, Steel
$28,000 - Memento-Mori #5, 68" high bronzeBy Michael WarrickLocated in Loveland, COMemento-Mori #5 by Michael Warrick 68x16x16" Bronze on CorTen Steel base. Fragment of a figure with impressions of their interests. Shipping price includes the custom packing necess...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Memento-Mori #3, 68" high bronzeBy Michael WarrickLocated in Loveland, COMemento-Mori #3 by Michael Warrick 68x16x16" Bronze on CorTen Steel base. Fragment of a figure with impressions of their interests. Shipping price includes the custom packing necess...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Bronze Figurative Sculpture
Tall Sculpture
Tall Bronze
Sculpture Of Male
Wooden Figurative Sculpture
Bronze Sculpture On Stand
Bronze Sculpture With A Stand
Bronze Sculpture Tall
Male Bronze
Tall Man
Museum Quality Bronze
Male Figurative Sculpture
Tall Figure Sculpture
Male Bronze Sculptures
Wooden Figural Sculpture
Tower Sculpture
Bronze Sculpture Of A Male
Bronze Try