"Andromeda"
Sculpture, 2023
Metal chains, sculpted foam head of a Corinthian colonne.
In the 1980s, the anime series Saint Seiya appeared, based on the constellation and star signs. In this series, you have the character Shun, who represented the Andromeda star sign. He has chains that protected him and warned him when there was danger and protected him, this image was the start of the fascination of this motive for Vansteenkiste. Its a powerful image that it always stuck with him.
The star sign Andromeda refers to a princess in Greek mythology. Andromeda was said to be sacrificed to a sea monster and chained to a rock, Perseus saved her and married her. Later Zeus made her into a star sign Andromeda is also referred to as women in chains.
This made the chain a central player in this work. The duality of strength and being chained and interconnected is a motif that Vansteenkiste uses to tell his story. We see a capital of a Corinthian column lying on the ground,
The column, the iconic foundation of Western architecture, has lost its function it has fallen down, lost its function and seems to be searching for new significance. Where normally the cologne would be we see mental chains coming out of the capital replacing the function, making connection with the space and with us. they form like a fluid metal drawing on the floor. They see like reaching out to us trying to connect.
For Vansteenkiste, the work Andromeda is about redefining itself after a moment of crisis. Where certainties are challenged and new meanings take shape.
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