Tomasz Koclęga: emotions enchanted in bronze

Luiza Poreda, 19 April 2021

A huge sculpture by Polish artist Tomasz Koclęga, “Inner balance”, was placed in New Dehli. The work weighs as much as 6.5 tons and has a size of 8 x 7 x 10 meters. Work on the sculpture started in January 2019. Originally, the completion of the work was planned for April 2020, but due to the pandemic, it was not possible until the end of December of that year.

The art works of Tomasz Koclęga, already in a smaller format, appear regularly in the auction and gallery offer of the Art in House Auction House. One of the artist’s works, entitled “Rebus Amet”, can be seen in the catalog of the 2nd Collector’s Sculpture Auction.

 

One of the sculptures by Tomasz Koclęga, which appeared in the catalog of the 2nd Sculpture Auction of the Art in House Auction House – although not as monumental as its Indian “sister”, is still the focal point of each space in which it is located. “Rebus amet” is a character made of polyester resin and a glass mat that seems light as a cloud not only because of the material used, but also because of the form of the work itself. The organic, soft structure of the work sticks to the human body expressed through universal gestures that can be read by an audience using a diverse system of signs and symbols – both European and Asian.

Despite the stillness of the sculpture, in the eyes of the viewer it is in a state of constant transfiguration – between striving to assume the embryonic position and escaping into space. Depending on the environment, one of these desires becomes dominant; no doubt, in the open garden, “Rebus Amet” will dissolve into space, and, locked in four walls, it will return to the womb of the invisible mother.

 

Tomasz Koclęga is a Polish sculptor born in 1968. He is consistently following his artistic career path. For many years, it has been presenting monumental sculptural works in public spaces of Polish cities. His professional career also took him to many other countries in the world – the artist presented his sculptures in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India, Austria, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania. , in Germany and Finland. His achievements include monumental projects permanently installed in public spaces not only in Poland, but also in the United States, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. Now an installation in India has joined the list.

Human spirituality: a monumental sculpture by Koclęga in India

Tomasz Koclęga in his monumental sculpture once again touched upon the topic closest to him – human spirituality, emotions, attitudes and behavior. The artist builds his works on the basis of fleeting, difficult to define feelings, emotions that torment each of us or hidden desires that appear in dreams or while awake.

 

 

The work created in India entitled “Inner Balance” is the biggest of this artist’s career. It is a monumental bronze sculpture measuring 8 x 7 x 10 meters and weighing 6.5 tons. It has been permanently installed in New Delhi – the Indian capital. It is a completely unusual work of art, the greatest work of a foreign artist ever realized in India. The artist made the sculpture in Poland, but the casting was made in India, in Jaipur.

 

Work on the sculpture in the artist’s studio lasted five months. Before being sent to a foundry in India, the object was carefully scanned to an accuracy of 2mm. The aim of this activity was to check the proportions of the body in relation to the interior in which the sculpture was to be installed – this was required by the Chandigar architectural office that designed the building.

After the sculpture was cut into many parts, it was shipped from Poland to India by sea. It could hardly fit into the largest container. The foundry in Jaipur took another six months to cast the bronze sculpture. This casting was made using the traditional, but very time-consuming technique of the so-called lost wax. A total of over 30 people worked on the casting, assembly and patination of the work.

 

“Inner balance” – about internal balance

The subject of Tomasz Koclęga’s works oscillates around the emotionality and spirituality of a person. And this time it is no different: a monumental crouching man froze motionless.

The accumulation of energy and its potential are visible here at first glance. The muscles are tense, the shoulders are lifted, and the head is tilted. You can feel the incredible strength flowing from the massive body cast in bronze, closed in a gesture of humility and respect. The whole thing seems to freeze in the moment captured by the sculptor – a moment of stopping, which also seems to be a moment of accumulating internal strength. We need this strength both to act in the world and to build an inner balance, a certain balance in life. And what helps to build it is this moment of stopping, resting, thinking. The result is a balance that is a constant balance between thinking and acting, and being and feeling.

 

Tomasz Koclęga is a sensitive artist. He notices in the world and in the life of each of us a constant dualism: the material world – spirituality. He sees it in everything alive and is aware of the importance of keeping them in balance so that one never gains an advantage over the other. The most important thing, however, according to the sculptor, is the search for inner balance, which is the path to oneself and the sense of one’s own existence. He tries to talk about it in his monumental work, as well as in his other projects.

 

The enormous figure holds golden lumps in both hands. Frozen in its immobility, it seems to weigh them. Golden lumps are here a symbol of indestructibility, eternity and immortality. Gold is also of great importance for our spiritual sphere – it is a symbol of purity and spiritual enlightenment. The glow of gold is to show us the path of our own development, the direction of personal changes, which, in the context of internal balance, have both a physical and spiritual dimension. This need for balance seems to be one of the artist’s key themes.

We encourage you to participate in the 2nd Auction of Sculpture, which will take place on Friday, April 9, 2021 at the Art in House Auction House. In the catalog of this art auction you can find one of the extraordinary works by Tomasz Koclęga.

We also invite you to the Online Art in House Gallery, where you can find sculptures by Tomasz Koclęga