Nicholas Crombach

Espalier: Candelabrum

2021

In his recent works sculptor Nicholas Crombach uses the markers of tradition to critique social rituals. Through the employment of the mythology and the rich visual culture of the hunt, Crombach assembles works which revel in contradiction. He has created a series of unexpected juxtapositions that examine the cultural significance and the complex issues percolating around hunting and sporting traditions in the 21st century. For this exhibition, Crombach riffs off the myth of Diana and Actaeon, which provides a poignant framework for his theme. In the original story, Actaeon, the hunter and grandson of King Cadmus, is in the forest with his dogs, when he spies Artemis (Diana) in her bath attended by her nymphs. Diana was the goddess of the hunt, but when the mortal Actaeon sees her, her nymphs try to cover her modesty. She splashes him with water, turning him from a mortal man into a stag, who flees into the forest only to be hunted down and killed by his own dogs. The hunter becomes the hunted. Crombach’s Fetch (2018) refers to the mythology of Diana and Actaeon as he transforms the lofty and classical story of metamorphoses into a game of fetch in the local park, constructed on a grand scale. In Fetch (2018), Crombach creates a hybrid between the art historical imagery from paintings of hounds hunting stags with the flashy colours and synthetic materials of modern day dog chew toys. The sculpture is displayed alongside a variety of chew toys that act as an index for the sculptures interpretation, some transformed into porcelain that has been marked with the aristocratic hunting motifs found on antique English pottery. Here, the assembly of works create a conversation on the blurred boundaries between: histories of domestication, the working relationships we have with animals, contemporary issues of hunting as “play”, tradition and survival. A second major new sculpture “End of the Chase” is a collapsed version of a Victorian period rocking horse housed in London’s V&A Museum Of Childhood. The sculpture responds to the 2014 hunting act that passed in Britain which in turn attempts to obliterate the tradition of hunting with hounds, most commonly associated with the fox hunt...

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Born in 1980 in Sainte-Émelie de l’Énergie, Karine Giboulo lives and works in Montreal. Since early 2000, she has been creating work in a variety of media from paintings and works on...

Since graduating from the University of Colorado in 2010, Pichaske has risen to attention in the art world. She was an assistant to artist Cristina Cordova, and has been an Artist in...

Since graduating from the University of Colorado in 2010, Pichaske has risen to attention in the art world. She was an assistant to artist Cristina Cordova...

This piece titled "Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit" is an original artwork made from secondhand ceramic figurines and mixed media by Debra Broz. This piece measures...

Charlie Paynter Viking Ship Mixed Media, Found Objects, Metal, Plex, Leather, Wood Year: 2015 Size: 16x19x11in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 24802-1746 Tags: Playful, Bottle Opener, Plex, Sailor, Outsider Art, corky, airy, breezy, buoyant, debonair, jaunty Charlie Paynter was born in Kansas City in 1938, graduated from Paseo High School. He was employed at the Kansas City Star for 55 years, where he worked in the mailing room...

Nir Adoni's metal vessels sculptures have become his signature art and are displayed in public buildings around the world. We are offering limited editions in a few sizes of these a...

Nir Adoni's metal vessels sculptures have become his signature art and are displayed in public buildings around the world. We are offering limited editions in a few sizes of these a...