A desire for proximity

Home / A desire for proximity

Pieter Obels
A desire for proximity, 2020-2021
Sculpture, corten steel
105x195x135 cm

About the work

The image was created during the corona period (2020-2021) when we were all confined to our homes or allowed limited contact. Fortunately, Pieter Obels had the opportunity to work in his studio, alone and with a lot of peace and quiet. During this period, he further explored the possibilities of steel, pushing the boundaries of how far he could bend it without losing its beautiful flowing forms. This sculpture is a result of that exploration; the steel bends towards each other but also constantly deviates.

While his other sculptures often interact more intimately, this one exhibits attraction and repulsion, with less entanglement, providing a different experience. During the pandemic, we longed to be together, but many restrictions prevented it, leading to ‘a desire for proximity.’

About the artist

Pieter Obels is a Dutch sculptor born in 1968. He studied at the Academy of Art in Tilburg (NL). Obels first experimented different materials for his work and after some years settled for steel, which allowed him to express his ideas best.

Pieter Obels explains “I don’t start off with a real plan when I embark upon a new sculpture. My works come about spontaneously, as the result of improvisation. I transform the rigid corten steel into graceful and bold sculptures. I submit the raw material to what I want to express visually. I make it dance and move without a set rhythm. In the same way, you have to experience my work through your own movement and discover the sculpture from various angles and aspects. That is how you can best feel the movement of the steel.”

Obels’ sculptures can be found in many private and public collections around the world.

Other artworks of the Vanderlande art collection

Narcissus, Hotel Nikko, Düsseldorf, Germany

Continue reading

Omnia / Wings from Animaris Gubernare

Continue reading

Button-Phi

Continue reading