Nexus (Tree Men Series)
View Similar Items
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6
P. Roch SmithNexus (Tree Men Series)2016
2016
About the Item
- Creator:P. Roch Smith (Canadian)
- Creation Year:2016
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Bloomfield, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2911404473
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
- Pas Seul 3/9 - figurative, female, bronze, outdoor sculptureLocated in Bloomfield, ONUsing simplified shapes, artist Frances Semple reveals the emotive essence of movement in this bronze sculpture of a walking woman. At 60 inches high, the figure is life-size. The sculpture is inscribed by the artist with initials and edition number, 3/9. The concrete base measures 12h x 24w x 42d inches. Together, the sculpture and base...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Arethusa immerses herself in the Alpheus river - figurative, bronze statuetteBy Richard TosczakLocated in Bloomfield, ONThis large bronze statuette of a reclining nude with legs outstretched, arms tucked in and straining to sit up was created rapidly in gestures that verge on abstraction. The modern a...Category
2010s Contemporary Nude Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Macaw - large, rustic, figurative, animal, bird, bronze, outdoor sculptureLocated in Bloomfield, ONA large, bronze baby macaw struggles and screeches from an awkward position on the ground. Loud, self-confident and active, macaws are the symbol of creative intelligence, inspiratio...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- 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
- End of the Chase (Dark Version) 1 of 6 - figurative, resin and wood sculptureLocated in Bloomfield, ONIt is a powerful image—at once compelling and provocative—an old-fashioned rocking horse, collapsed. This is the work of Nicholas Crombach. The Kingston based artist creates sculptu...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- 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
You May Also Like
- Love (5/18) - Solid Bronze Whale SculptureBy Mireia SerraLocated in Los Angeles, CAMireia Serra creates sensuous bronze and iron sculptures showing the beauty of snapshots caught in life which are full of emotions and feelings along the life journey. Her metal artw...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMetal, Bronze, Iron
$1,460 Sale Price20% Off - WHITE HINGED POEM DRESS,By Lesley DillLocated in New York, NYLESLEY DILL WHITE HINGED POEM DRESS, 1994 patinated bronze 55 x 37 x 30 in. 139.7 x 94 x 76.2 cm. Edition of 4Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- 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
- The Gardener with SunflowerBy Patrick O'ReillyLocated in Belfast, GBPatrick O'Reilly The Gardener with Sunflower Bronze 47 1/4 x 49 1/4 x 15 3/4 in 120 x 125 x 40 cm This piece is entitled The Gardener with Sunflower. It is a large scale outdoor scu...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Conversation (B/02/01)By Sophie RyderLocated in Montreal, QuebecEd. of 9 Sophie Ryder was born in London in 1963 and lives in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside with her family. She studied visual arts at the Royal Academy Schools and ...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze