The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian
In this performative artwork, I reuse the mould from the project Saint Sebastian with Birds no. 2 and place Saint Sebastian — without arrows piercing his body — inside a stainless-steel cage.
The figure, this time made from beef fat and glass beads, is heated by an infrared lamp and slowly begins to melt and deform. The glass beads sink downward; the body loses its cohesion.
Yet new life emerges. At the core of the sculpture, near Sebastian’s heart, lies a small bird. Perhaps it is small enough to escape the cage together with the shifting matter.
Where Saint Sebastian has traditionally been depicted as a prisoner and a martyr, here he is transformed, figuratively, into a bird — a symbol of escape and freedom.
With each exhibition opportunity, the artwork is reshaped and deformed by heat — with the ultimate aim of giving Saint Sebastian back his freedom.
Dirck-van-Baburen-the-nursing-of-saint-sebastian-c.-1622
Short History
Saint Sebastian was born in the third century in Gaul. As a legionary, he rose to the rank of captain under Emperor Diocletian.
But Sebastian was a Christian, and that faith was forbidden within the Roman Empire. The restriction of his belief must have given him a deep sense of confinement.
When his faith was discovered, he was sentenced to death. Archers pierced him with arrows and left him for dead. A widow nursed him back to health, allowing him to survive. Yet Sebastian once again presented himself before Diocletian, who ordered him beaten to death and his body thrown into a sewer. Later, his remains were found and buried near the catacombs of Rome, where his grave became a site of pilgrimage.
Transformations
Start 2023 - Process Photos
2023 - First Escape – group exhibition De Fabriek, Eindhoven
In the background, works by Roland Gunst (a.k.a. John K Cobra), Geerke Sticker, and Merel van de Casteele can be seen.
2024 - Second Escape – solo exhibition CCDA Lommel
