Adriaan Diedericks Sculpture
Adriaan Diedericks is fast making a name for himself as one of the top sculptors in South Africa. He got his Fine Arts degree from Stellenbosch in 2012 and spent the next year under the wing of a national treasure, sculptor Lionel Smit.
Since then he has sold his works all over the world, from wine estates to private collections.
Adiaan’s studio and bronze foundry in Strand, South Africa is where his sculptures are cast. The facility is fully equipped to handle every stage of production, and guarantees work of the highest quality.
The casting of bronze objects using the lost wax (cire perdue) method dates back 5,000 years. Although some of the techniques and materials have changed over time, much of the process remains the same to this day. The lost wax method is labour intensive and time-consuming process taking roughly 4-6 weeks on average per sculpture.
We asked him to explain his vision with Dossier:
"Visually I have a “revealed - concealed” approach to my work. I also draw inspiration from the Hegelian “master-slave” concept, which combined plays on the notion of creating optical illusions. From one angle someone might see something entirely different to another angle.
“Practically my work mostly manifests from objects and materials found within my surroundings such as scraps of rotten wood. I find the dry rot wood due to excess water seeping into the center quite symbolic. I use this in correlation to the Foucaultian theory of “Knowledge is Power” and “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, in the same way the water corrupts the wood over time.
My work has an organic approach, one piece informs the next. Therefore my work acts as proposed pieces rather than final destinations."
"Throughout my oeuvre my artistic vision deals with various concepts such as power structures and the notion of identity within society, yet the one overarching link remains my interest in the human form because of its impressionability as a vessel for symbolism and signification. I use the art of sculpture to investigate these concepts though form, scale and colour manipulation. A great element of my work is to invite the viewer in to my thought process and allow them to immerse themselves in their own journey with the pieces and reflect both critically and emotionally on issues concerning our society.
The use of a blue patina carries meaning on multiple levels. It not only serves as a primary colour that is easily associated with and accepted, but it lends itself to the concepts and issues surrounding power, masculinity and identity. Blue is also the colour of the sea and the sky and in my oeuvre I often deal with ships, the body as a vessel and the idea of fight or flight which brings thoughts and imagery of the sea and sky, and thus blue, to mind.”
I have come to realize that I want to create a sustainable business based on steadfast principles where I can make a difference in the lives of families and communities both vocationally and financially through my passion for the visual arts."
