In the Beginning was an Idea

Drawing, 70 x 42 cm

Most artworks start with a sketch. Sculptures are no exception. To ease my apprehension of the raw, unformed lump of clay I grab the humble lead pencil and draw female figures. In line with my current arts practice, I apply serial repetition and include handwriting. This drawing will be the blue print for manikin-like representations of women, their limbs joined by wire.

My artwork is on one level a self-portrait, showing incarnations of myself, on another level it serves as an homage to the Venus von Willendorf, the Paleolithic statue from my home country, Austria, believed to be a fertility symbol. This figure predates even the Roman myth of Venus and is, for me, the embodiment of power.