Jens Gussek

[IMG]Jens GussekWheaton Village - Jens Gussek
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Jens Gussek

Many scientists believe that water is essential for the development of life in any form.That's why evidence of water on the planet Mars merits headlines.Unquestionably, water is necessary to sustain life on earth.

In his successful application for a Fall 2005 Resident Fellowship at the Creative Glass Center of America at Wheaton Village, Jens Gussek, a sculptor born in East Germany, perhaps not entirely facetiously mentioned that he'd heard Wheaton Village was "not so far from the ocean."Certainly water is a subtly shaded and pervasive metaphor for this artist.

Gussek calls his most recent body of work "The Ocean Pieces" and writes, "The ocean is always a target of my yearning.A place where you feel hope and freedom, where you see yourself smaller, maybe less important, more abstract, more clear."In his application, Gussek alluded to the common representation of life as an ocean journey, though for him, the trip does not have a fixed or pre-determined goal beyond "looking for the shore."

Like so many sculptors working in glass today, Gussek is not bound by an allegiance to any particular technique, or even to glass unless it's the appropriate medium for the expression of his ideas.He has cast figures of lead and often uses metal, wood, slate and paint to realize his ideas.In fact, Gussek began his study of art in the field of weaving.Then he switched to painting, sculpture, and glass, worked as a designer in a glass company before returning to school at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle.It was before reunification and the school only accepted two students a year."While you were there, your life was radiant," he recalls.
...
Unlike birds which evolved from sea creatures, Gussek came to the ocean from the air.An earlier series of work focused on airplanes and the air environment.Part of the inspiration for these works was the destruction of Dessau, including most of the unique residences of the masters of the Bauhaus, by English and American bombers in one night in 1944.

Gussek also continues a series of rather rudimentary vehicles which are popular with collectors.Perhaps these are an homage to another element: the earth.Fire would come next as a theme, but Gussek is not obsessed with thematic consistency.A particularly successful wall-based piece spells out "I" and "YOU" in sand cast butterflies of different colors.
...
Gussek recalls ruefully, "It was expensive."

[IMG]Jens GussekWheatonArts - Jens Gussek
...
Jens Gussek

Many scientists believe that water is essential for the development of life in any form.That's why evidence of water on the planet Mars merits headlines.Unquestionably, water is necessary to sustain life on earth.

In his successful application for a Fall 2005 Resident Fellowship at the Creative Glass Center of America at Wheaton Village, Jens Gussek, a sculptor born in East Germany, perhaps not entirely facetiously mentioned that he'd heard Wheaton Village was "not so far from the ocean."Certainly water is a subtly shaded and pervasive metaphor for this artist.

Gussek calls his most recent body of work "The Ocean Pieces" and writes, "The ocean is always a target of my yearning.A place where you feel hope and freedom, where you see yourself smaller, maybe less important, more abstract, more clear."In his application, Gussek alluded to the common representation of life as an ocean journey, though for him, the trip does not have a fixed or pre-determined goal beyond "looking for the shore."

Like so many sculptors working in glass today, Gussek is not bound by an allegiance to any particular technique, or even to glass unless it's the appropriate medium for the expression of his ideas.He has cast figures of lead and often uses metal, wood, slate and paint to realize his ideas.In fact, Gussek began his study of art in the field of weaving.Then he switched to painting, sculpture, and glass, worked as a designer in a glass company before returning to school at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle.It was before reunification and the school only accepted two students a year."While you were there, your life was radiant," he recalls.
...
Unlike birds which evolved from sea creatures, Gussek came to the ocean from the air.An earlier series of work focused on airplanes and the air environment.Part of the inspiration for these works was the destruction of Dessau, including most of the unique residences of the masters of the Bauhaus, by English and American bombers in one night in 1944.

Gussek also continues a series of rather rudimentary vehicles which are popular with collectors.Perhaps these are an homage to another element: the earth.Fire would come next as a theme, but Gussek is not obsessed with thematic consistency.A particularly successful wall-based piece spells out "I" and "YOU" in sand cast butterflies of different colors.
...
Gussek recalls ruefully, "It was expensive."