Gilding the Lily

Ever wonder why purpose seems to come with the ubiquitious obligation to ugly. Nah? Neither does Gilding. But for Belgian artist, Wim Delvoye, the purposeful serves as the other half to his artistic creations; opposites attract. Reknowned sculptural artist in a wide range of medias and artistic practices, divine is often merged with secular, the past is embodied in the present, and ornement overcomes strict functionality.

In his life-size replicas of Caterpillar excavators, Delvoye juxtaposes medievil “Gothic” craftsmanship with machine-age technology. These massive sculptures are made in corten steel and perforated with Gothic filigree, a combinatory testament to the Gothic architecture that looms large in our culture and its breathtaking verticality that is a sign of dazzling architectural feat, achieved one stone at a time” and today’s heavy machinery that can accomplish almost overnight what once took decades to build and generations of artisans and workers to craft.

There are visible references to Notre Dame in the squared-off double cab and circular rose window of the Caterpillar, but all of the sculptures in the series are an amalgamation of Gothic structures. Transforming familiar icons of industrialized productivity with repeated arches, intricately patterned florets and undulating lines, Delvoye’s series of Gothic Caterpillars grow out of an ongoing series of works in which Delvoye applies traditional craft and folk art practices to various industrial objects. Included in this series of works are hand-painted gas canisters with blue Delftware windmill motifs, enameled ironing boards with medievil coat of arms, and collaborative pieces with Indonesian woodcarvers to make a Baroque-styled teak cement truck.


Link: Wim Delvoye | Sperone Westwater | Centripetal Notion