Totemic Head Sculpture Unsigned by Jencik, Melbourne, 1998

About the Item

Another wonderful marble sculpture with an intriguing provenance. Unsigned. Part of a series by Paul Jencik, circa 1998-2001. This ‘totemic head’ sculpture is carved from a single block of marble in a snowy white. It’s the remaining head from a much larger totemic sculpture, the base now lost. This figurative face can be interpreted in many ways. Jencik references human, animal and natural forms but never quite allows us to reach a conclusion about the origins of his creations. Jencik was a welder, boat builder and metal worker with a strong creative instinct but without the opportunity or artistic training that would afford his work any recognition. He created a large series of marble and timber sculptures of notable stylistic and artistic merit. He was active in the fringe Arts movement around Melbourne's western suburbs through the 1990s and early 2000s. A notable feature of Jencik’s work is its robust and humorous energetic expression. Stylistically, his work carries strong elements of 1990s pop culture, graphic design, skate culture, Pop Art, and Street Art. Some of the more heavy-weight artistic and design works it brings to mind are those of Philippe Starck, Keith Haring, Wendell Castle and Constantin Brancusi. Most notably, however, Jencik's work stands out as his own unique expression of the 1990s street aesthetic, completely of its time but utterly individual. His strange biomorphic forms create a curious sense of the familiar but can never quite be pinned down, are they mineral, botanical, animal, human? Something is struggling to emerge - is it menacing or vulnerable? It’s hard to fix on any finite definition and so these works have the curious quality of continually playing with our subconscious. Our conclusion is that Jencik's sculptures are like small, energetic idols. Yes, they are playful explorations of the materials he had at hand, they frequently feature lamination of different colored stones but there’s a deeper Paradox in these forms. They’re bound by bands of tension crossing the surface at every angle a barely contained energy bulges out of the boundaries. Perhaps this is emblematic of the artist's drive to realize their unique artistic expression in spite of the constraints of their time, place and circumstances. The examples we've acquired are a small selection of his prolific work. We feel sure he’ll find greater recognition as more are discovered and come to market.

Creator:

Paul Jencik (Sculptor)

Dimensions:

Height: 8.67 in (22 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Marble,Hand-Carved

Place of Origin:

Australia

Period:

1990-1999

Date of Manufacture:

1998

Condition:

Minor losses. This is the head only, of a larger figure. Therefore shows an uneven surface to the base where it was separated. A few nicks and minor scuffs here and there, in keeping with overall vintage condition.

Seller Location:

Melbourne, AU

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU2656318554382

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