46. international symposion krastal 2013
27. 07 - 17. 08. 2013

gemeinsam unterwegs


Sculptors’ symposion saw this year the creation of an ensemble of sculptures, based on the idea of adding single, individual sculptures together into a greater whole. Working communally, a new concept emerged in which several sculptors worked together over a set period of time. The work began months before the actual symposion it self, in deliberations, preparatory work and discussions about the possible themes, content and design for this communal project; The individual working processes were planned ahead in detail, so that work on the stone could begin immediately on commencement of the symposion. In our experience, the three weeks up until the final presentation in the grounds of the symposion house at Krastal just fly by.

Communal works by teams of sculptors have become exceedingly rare, although they used to be the rule on sculptors’ symposion. Naturally, each artist wishes to realize his or her own ideas, and in the end it is also the artist’s reasonability to distinguish oneself from the others.
Nevertheless, is it not true nowadays, that every work of art is somehow created within networks, in teams, in “factories”, in joint working processes with others? The question arises with growing frequency, whether singular, distinct works of art will exist at all in future, or whether they can only manifest or assert themselves within global contexts. In any case, works that relate only to themselves or to subjective vision of the artist who made them are already being judged in a different light. But can art return to a view of the greater whole, without loosing itself in the process? The process of working together, finding intersections of ideas and compromises, is in no way easy. Bearing this in mind, we made the effort this year to work through the process of creating a communal work, to gain experiences which have in fact been part of the Krastal sculptors’ symposion and of our artists’ association from the outset. In this way, the past forty-six years at Krastal have seen not only new ways of production in making sculpture, but also new areas of expertise and a special form of creativity, which has expanded to include a wide world-view, greater and previously “unthinkable” ideas.

(Erika Inger)