With this bronze lace face sculpture, I wanted to reveal a presence both obvious and elusive, between embodiment and withdrawal.
A defined face, almost obvious
In A Tear, the face immediately asserts itself. The nose, lips, main volumes are there, readable, almost familiar. There is a clear presence, a recognizable form anchored in reality.
The choice of bronze reinforces this feeling. The material is continuous, homogeneous, it gives the face a strong unity. Unlike other pieces where contrasts play a role, here everything converges toward the same density, the same breath. The face exists fully, without apparent fragmentation.
An absent gaze, an inner presence
And yet, something escapes. The gaze does not fix, it does not hold. It seems absent, or perhaps turned inward. This is where the sculpture shifts.
This absence creates a distance. The face is there, but it does not fully reveal itself. It becomes silent, almost inaccessible. The emotion is not given, it is held back, shifted elsewhere.
The bronze lace, made by drop-by-drop fusion, reveals open areas, breaths in the material. This enhances that in-between feeling: a presence asserted by the form, but that withdraws in the gaze.
The whole creates a very balanced work, where the materiality of the face contrasts with a form of inner absence. It is not a face that looks, it is a face that exists — differently.
