Communion
10’ 5” x 3’ 8” x 2’ 5”
Cast iron, stainless steel, steel
2017
2017 Hot Metal Artist
Artist Statement
My typical studio practice consists of using visual arts as a form of social commentary. The content of my work is research based to address a wide range of societal issues. As a result, there is a variety of materials, processes and manners of display found in the body of work.
Communion, stems from an interest in revisiting an exploration of form as a reprieve from focusing on the hardships that humanity faces. By deliberately combining the three major ferrous metals, steel, cast iron and stainless steel, the materiality found in this sculpture reflects its title. A community of similar metals makes up this totemic form, that references a reverence for celestial bodies that has captivated cultures for millennia.
A combination of both geometric and organic forms is a repetitive aesthetic occurrence in my outdoor sculpture. This work exemplifies such habitual tendencies with a soft form in cast iron cradling the visually dominant disk form sitting atop the work. The cast iron element, made of an industrial material and as a result rather harsh in physical make up, is in contrast with the form it takes. This reflects the dichotomies found in communities universally as there are inevitable complexities to social structures.
Joe Bigley
Born: Livingston, NJ, USA, 1979
Resides: Atlanta, GA, USA
Education
MFA, Alfred University, 2008
BFA, Appalachian State University, 2004