Donald Lipskiis an American sculptor best known for his installation work and large-scale public works... (wikipedia)
liberating the figure from the marble that imprisons it.
I hate to do it, especially with all the festivities. The governor is going to be here, the band is going to play, it's homecoming weekend, my mother's coming up from Chicago, my college roommates are flying in from different places,
When I was visiting the UW Athletic Department, they had a (computer-generated) promotional picture of the football team in front of the Colosseum, all wearing gladiator outfits, ... I knew I was on the right track.
These are some of the challenges of living in New York and having the piece manufactured in Sparta, Wisconsin, ... I've made five or six trips here and we e-mailed images back and forth. Still, I came here and the final piece has some things that ought to be changed.
A football stadium really is a contemporary Colosseum, which is its predecessor,
I want it to be perfect. It is disappointing not to have it there for the Homecoming game, but I need to take the long view that it will be there for generations.
I'm not saying my sculpture will make the team played better, or help anyone feel more pride, ... But it very well might.
But I have to take a long view. The thing's going to be up for generations. I have to put all those little concerns aside and swallow my disappointment and make sure the thing looks right.
I don't see Oldenburg as an influence, but he casts a big shadow as an extraordinary artist,
I do see that quality, triceps and quadriceps, really defined muscles, like a body builder.
You want to be respectful of the public and engage them, ... I want to seduce the public. I want art that excites me and I want public art to be challenging, a step ahead.