Telling No Lies

myminifactory

Human Nature is Uncompromising Truth was created specifically for the exhibition Beyond the Fence at Middelheim Park. Extremely aware of the intense context of this large bronze sculpture, Henk Visch designed an ambiguous form that connected both to other sculptures and to the park's surroundings. They serve as temporary landmarks in a landscape of curiosity and awe. During his exhibitions, Visch places great emphasis on how the sculptures are arranged and the potential relationships between them, and between the works and their environments. The piece All Will Appear New Tomorrow (1993-96), for example, was moved to a different location every day of his exhibition at Middelheim Park. This skillful use of forms and their meanings likely stems from Visch's background as a draughtsman and printmaker. When he began creating sculpture in 1980 it followed his drawings, but perhaps also the prevailing mood. His interest in human-like figuration, the use of color and his choice of traditional materials like wood and bronze aligned with the postmodern era. When he started making sculptures in 1980 they followed his drawings, but perhaps also the cultural climate. His interest in human-like figuration, the use of color and his selection of traditional materials like wood and bronze corresponded to the postmodern atmosphere. "My work resembles a stump, a piece of old, decaying tree," says Visch, "You can clearly see that the sculpture is constructed using building blocks, similar to the museum buildings surrounding it." The result is a visual trap. The almost shapeless object forms a reservoir of associations. Simultaneously a pedestal and a goblet, a trunk and a fungus, it appears to have both grown and been cast. In contrast to several more classical bronzes, the surface of Human Nature is Uncompromising Truth is rough and unfinished. In this way the sculpture refers explicitly to its origins and retains the schematic quality of a drawing or sketch. Source: Middelheim Museum