The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian

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    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.

    Transformations

    2024 - Second Escape – solo exhibition CCDA Lommel

    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo of the second escape during the exhibition Transformation Studio No.1: Warm or Cold at CC De Adelberg in Lommel; the empty mold is mounted on the installation while pots with melted beef fat are prepared
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: the yellow modular mold around the central axis of the installation in which the sculpture is cast.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: the sculpture made of beef fat and glass beads appears at the top as the mold is partially removed.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — installation setup with the infrared heater beside the still partially assembled mold.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — the sculpture stands again inside the metal cage during the exhibition Transformation Studio No.1: Warm or Cold at CC De Adelberg in Lommel.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — during the second escape the sculpture melts under infrared heat while visitors move around the installation.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — remnants of melted beef fat and green glass beads accumulate on the floor beneath the installation.

    2023 - First Escape – group exhibition De Fabriek, Eindhoven

    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — preparation space with sketches and materials for the project: test sculpture of Saint Sebastian, molds, bags of materials, and a hot plate with pots used to melt beef fat.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — first installation at the exhibition Malabou in Malibu at De Fabriek in Eindhoven: the sculpture made of fat and glass beads stands inside a metal cage.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — detail of the sculpture inside the metal cage; the surface consists of beef fat mixed with green glass beads.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — during the exhibition the fat sculpture melts under infrared heat and slowly collapses downward inside the cage.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — infrared heater beside the cage warms the sculpture while melted fat and glass beads drip downward.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — glass beads and remnants of melted fat accumulate on the floor beneath the cage.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — overview of the installation during the exhibition Malabou in Malibu at De Fabriek in Eindhoven, showing the infrared heater, cage, and melting sculpture.

    In the background, works by Roland Gunst (a.k.a. John K Cobra), Geerke Sticker, and Merel van de Casteele can be seen.


    Start 2023 - Process Photos

    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: first test in which a figure made of fat and glass beads is placed under infrared radiation to observe how the material begins to melt.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: detail of the infrared test in which the fat with glass beads heats up and begins to sag.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: rear view of the infrared test where the fatty sculpture gradually deforms under the heat.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: large pot with melted beef fat used for casting the sculpture.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: test pieces of beef fat without glass beads removed from the mold, placed on a table beside tools.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: infrared heater next to a metal cage that will later contain the Saint Sebastian sculpture.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: empty mold mounted inside the metal cage to test whether the form fits the construction.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: first test demolding a figure made of beef fat mixed with glass beads.
    • The Great Escape of Saint Sebastian — process photo: experiment in which the fat sculpture with glass beads is heated in a pot so the material begins to melt and flow.

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