It was the image that defied gravity. A painstakingly intricate form clinging to its base, so of the earth in its endless tangle of wire, and yet ironically weightless look as if it could, at any moment, lose its tenuous hold on the ground.
Open Hands was the creation of 19-year-old sculpturist Samuel Troyer from Eleebana. He will open his first solo exhibition at Flying Spanners Gallery at Teralba on Friday.
The artist, who renowned UK sculptor Robin Wight has mentored, says he is fascinated by the human form and weaves his sculptures, often from a single wire thread, to create a sense of intricate movement and life.
Open Hands was one of around 150 sculptures installed at Fort Scratchley in Newcastle in May for the second iteration of the outdoor exhibition and competition Sculptures at Scracthley, created by local artist Grahame Wilson.
The showcase ranged from pieces a few centimetres high to a 600-kilogram, nine-metre epic by last year's major prize winner, Michael Greve. Greve is the artist responsible for the massive and now-famous timber whale that has been installed at the fort since it was acquired by former lord mayor Jeff McCloy during last year's exhibition. Greve has returned this year with a similarly immense timber ode to the Greek hero Odysseus.
Troyer, 19, whose Open Hands sculpture won the popular category and a second-place prize in the exhibition's Peer Award, judged by exhibiting artists, is an almost entirely new voice for the local sculpture scene. Mr Wilson said Sculptures at Scracthley was one of the artist's first exhibitions, effectively exploding onto the scene with a unique mastery of form and movement in his work.
Open Hands will feature among the works in the Teralba exhibition, many of which will be up for acquisition before it is sent to Mudgee, where it has been accepted for the Sculptures in the Garden exhibition in October.
