When I become a place

As a Lebanese, I have been affected my entire life by the conflicts that have occurred and continue to occur on my country's soil. Later, I realized that my country was merely a stepping stone and that the war was a human condition. As a result, I began my quest for reasons to be optimistic by conducting tests, which I dubbed passions.

I set out to define the relationship between sculpture and place that I hope to develop through my practice. I identify the nature of this relationship in order to demonstrate how art can have meaning and how the place can influence our personality, shed light on our dreams, and sculpt our physiognomy through the restoration of the missing link.

This experience has given me the opportunity to investigate aspects of the symbolism associated with the location's history. It has also paved the way for contemplation on memory and history, collective memory and myths, and the role of the visual artist at the crossroads of these time and space-related themes. As a matter of fact, it is a reflection of the human condition through the answers provided by art.

There are antagonistic relationships between the body and the place: the first is physical, threedimensional, concrete, and limited, whereas the second is spiritual, sentimental, nostalgic, and infinite. The connection between the place and the body is considered vital. One depends on the other. One represents the other. One is the evidence of the other. However, as we've seen, the place is frequently much more than what's described. It also includes an intangible space that is subject to the ephemeral passage of time. The true identity of a place is frequently derived from this other component. That place, which is thought to be the recipient of human actions, will remember the unforgettable events that occurred at that time. The place is what is taking place. It is to be. It is to exist. I wanted to create a kind of interpolation of myths and symbols rooted in the collective unconscious in order to provide the spectator with a positive vision of the future through symbols and memory. The values are represented by the axes, the orientations of which correspond to both horizontal and vertical lines. Whenever this subject is discussed, the terminology associated with three-dimensional plastic creation comes to mind: vertical height, horizontal width, and depth. The cardinal aspect of the entire plastic art adventure is found there; for it is not only limited to the idea of the sculpture, the composition, the material, the color, the texture, and the treatment, but it also includes the threedimensional body as the location where all of these elements are deployed. My sculptures aim to recuperate the symbolism of time and space, the symbol of the place and its memory, the symbol of the location, and the perception that man may have, as long as the legacy of previous centuries is included. In this additional but opposing relationship, the vertical must emerge victorious from the present, the space, and the material, symbolized by the horizontal dimension.

Through the aging of the appearance, my sculptures are attempting to express a long period of time. The wrinkles in them resemble burned skin: the shape and color of the clay that outlines their cavities represent soil, while the color of gold or silver that glitters on the external surfaces represents hope, glory, and life.

I was especially moved by the works of two of the most influential modern and contemporary artists. The first is Giacometti and his figures, which seem to reflect the modern man's triumph over his tragic fate. These lanky figures, which appear to be constantly fighting against various winds of misfortune, are linked to the dreadful period of the Second World War, which left a scar of atrocities in the twentieth century. Anselm Kiefer is the second artist, and he had the ability to transform any space he worked on into a masterpiece. I would use the opportunity provided by this sculptor's extensive use of
complex and monumental equipment to reflect on those comprised of a group of different sculptors.

The cosmogony bestows a connection system on both the microcosm and the macrocosm, allowing them to interact and form a relationship. Consequently, the universe would become a vast consciousness with close relationships with each of its parts. This subtle system of symbols enables the artist to express the world's relations, as well as the world's relations with mankind. If, as I previously stated, the human being is the scale of the relationship with the cosmos, then the artist would transform this scale into a tool to make the existential tragedy of human destiny. In conclusion, the artist, even if he is often a loner, has a social task to perform. The victories or the defeats are written here and now, and no happy ending in the past can change the future. However, sharing with mankind what had enabled their predecessors to stay strong in the face of adversity and to firmly resist the temptation to fall into the trap of despair, seemed to me to be a bearer of positivity and worthy of being proposed.

Bassam Kyrillos