“Weeping Torso”
ALEXEI KAZANTSEV
Statement
My Art
The foundational essence of my art is the eternal nature and timeless quality of stone. To heighten one’s awareness for the need of harmony within nature, I am compelled to sculpt with reverence for established space. My goal is to strike the balance, and find mutuality between male and female energy. In my sculpture, I strive to restore our admiration and awe, of the nurturing and sustaining virtues of female energy. This concept of balance and harmony can draw us into symmetry with the arrangement of our existence, and serve as a visual remedy to hostility in our culture. Spiritually, I am a partner to stone; while shaping each piece, I am sensitive and open to being directed by the sculpture.
Materials and Style
To express a complex range of ideas, I combine traditional realism, abstraction, and conceptualism, as well as other textures. The masculine, penetrating and brutal properties of steel, the heavy energy of organic stone, fused with the feminine, light and translucent ambience of white marble, make up my compositions. Masculine energy sparks the polar effect, and connects with the female spirit. This combination of textures gives me the freedom to blend contrasting material; depicting a unique hybrid of racy and organic ideas. My sculptures exude ethereal and dreamy expressions, with a meditative state of acceptance, openness and nonjudgement.
Selected Exhibitions
Publications
Education
1991-1992 – PhD Program in Sculpture, Russian Fine Art Academy, Moscow, Russia
1985-1991 – BA and MFA in Fine Art, Moscow State Art Academy, Moscow, Russia
1981-1985 – Apprenticeship in Marble Sculpture, Private Studio, Moscow, Russia
Commissions and Collections
Elaine Shemilt, Dundee, Scotland
Annette Zayrova, Frankfurt, Germany (sculpture)
Mr. and Mrs. Leov, Dusseldorf, Germany (watercolor)
Francoise and Peter Gillespie, Provence, France (limestone sculpture)
Ram and Sara Yogev, Chicago, Illinois (sculpture)
Hermann Noack, Berlin, Germany (watercolor)
Mario Mazzini, Carrara, Italy (marble relief)
Entrance Plaque, Cave Michelangelo, Carrara, Italy (marble bust)
Ann Montgomery, Folsom, LA
Brenda Braud, Independence, LA (marble bust)
Neill Corporation, Hammond, LA (monumental stone sculpture)
Gia Prima, Metairie, LA (marble angel for Louis Prima mausoleum)
Annabelle and John Goodman, New Orleans, LA
Windy Hartzog, Covington, LA
Larry and Nancy Smith, Omaha, NE
Amrita and Sachi Mahapatra, Lincoln, NE