Auke de Vries

Twins, 2005

The starting point for Auke de Vries’ sculptural thinking is the concept of a body without pre-given definitions: without mass, without volume, without center. The question is: How can I react to the consequences of scientific developments, from the theory of relativity to genetic engineering and bio-politics? Auke de Vries’ answer would go like this: The sculpture must give visual expression to ‘speechless’ phenomena like the experience of profound instability in all situations, of all realizations and of all agreements. A visual expression that not only depicts the contemporary forms of substance being exhausted but also grasps and visualizes decomposition and the absence of reference as positive free scope for the imagination. In keeping with this approach, Auke de Vries’ sculptures retain the elements in their diversity and individuality and associate them, combining them freely. His sculptures are interconnections of elements, events and potential energies which are relevant for both individuals and society.