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Stan Olthuis
"Relic", abstract sculpture, torched wood, granite base, bicycle rubber tube

2021

$3,500
£2,597.14
€3,025.31
CA$4,872.03
A$5,425.44
CHF 2,823.64
MX$66,895.02
NOK 35,961.23
SEK 33,800.07
DKK 22,572.55
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About the Item

"Relic" is a sculpture of geometric abstraction by Stan Olthuis composed of fire-torched pine wood, plywood, and reclaimed bicycle inner tube, mounted with a metal cleat to a granite base. Relic measures 37" deep by 14" wide by 14" high. Typical of the artist, this black enigma resonates with a rich charge. The artist's obsession with raw material and intersecting shapes is a clear gesture here. A transformation has taken place – the shards of wood brought together, flamed and assembled into a shape that attracts and repels easy definition. From Stan Olthuis – "My work has always involved tactility and expressionistic energy. I visualize the story and imagery simultaneously, allowing the work to surprise me and come to life as I work. I am almost careless in how I use color and texture, facing the fear of improvising on-the-fly. I like to leave the obvious raw record of the process visible, but I believe a mystery remains." Stan Olthuis looks for expressive opportunities in found and harvested raw material – wood, stone, metal, rubber – and brings a fabricator's expertise to the work of making minimalist, joyful sculptures. Geometry is key, as are a sense of play and an adept's feel for sacred energies. His work is exhibited and collected internationally, including private and corporate commissions in Canada, United States, Mexico, France, Japan and Norway. Stan is represented by Gagné Contemporary in Toronto and New York City, and has select works available through the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and Motokawa Gallery in Japan. Stan Olthuis' formal education began in Chicago with Henk Krijger, the celebrated master printmaker, type designer, painter and sculptor. Back in Toronto, Olthuis graduated (with distinction) with a degree in Experimental Arts at Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD), studying under artists Fred Hagen, Tom Hodgson (Painters Eleven), Tom Dean and Nobuo Kubota.
  • Creator:
    Stan Olthuis (1951, Canadian)
  • Creation Year:
    2021
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 37 in (93.98 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Toronto, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1345210054052

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