Patina
Patina typically refers to a distinctive green or brown surface layer that forms on bronze sculptures over time due to oxidation.
The term ‘patina’ originates from the Italian word ‘patinato’, meaning 'a shallow layer of deposit on the surface.' It now broadly refers to any signs of ageing on antiques, encompassing fading, darkening, or oxidising, and can manifest on nearly any material.
Patina can develop naturally through atmospheric or weather-related oxidation, or it can be artificially induced by applying chemicals. While most bronze sculptures undergo patination, artist Constantin Brancusi deviated by polishing his bronzes to showcase the natural, beautiful gold colour of the metal.
20 results found for "Patina"
Mask of a Woman (Green Patina)
In Mask of a Woman, Nicolas Holiber’s dense impasto forms the basis of a gestural bronze face.The artist’s first bronze edition is an exploration of materiality and artistic intuition. Approaching sculpture through painterly processes, the distorted face is conjured entirely from the artist’s imagination. Replacing the push and pull of heavy acrylic with the malleability of clay, forms and features emerge organically from the cast.“I use a growing set of tools to push and pull the mixture around – adding and subtracting. It’s exciting because it’s a very raw moment, and really, anything can happen. Body parts and faces start to appear.”The edition is also available in a black patina finish.
Tschabalala Self in London
We all do it, but what does it mean to sit?
Seated
With her first ever public sculpture, Tschabalala Self brings ongoing explorations of body politics and domestic performance to London.
En Iwamura
En Iwamura (he/him) was born in 1988 in Kyoto, Japan, where he continues to live and work.
Unacquainted Friends
With a reconfigurable bronze sculpture, artist duo Giorgiko reflect on the invisible magic of human connection.Unacquainted Friends places kindred spirits Wonder and Maria back-to-back. The pair are connected by a looped golden arch that rises from a small bowl which each holds, the lustre of the arch juxtaposing the earthy patina of the figures.The sculpture encourages interaction - its figures can be rotated around the arch in different orientations, reflecting the various stages of friendship. Through playful movement, Giorgiko hope that viewers will consider that we are all perpetually connected by our humanity.Note that due to their patinated surfaces, each figure needs to be handled with care using the gloves provided to avoid tarnish.
Little Sower
Caught in a headwind of global turmoil, Little Sower reinterprets a symbol of the French Republic.The allegorical young woman wearing a Phrygian cap has spread the seeds of liberty, equality and fraternity throughout France since the 19th century. With his sculptural re-imagining in bronze, SETH pulls down her cap over her eyes, evocative of the doubt-filled period the world is enduring. Determined to lead a path towards a bright and prosperous future, the tenacious sower keeps doing her work despite being blinded.
Toy Car
The classical bronze nude is reframed in Toy Car by Yu Nagaba.With an arm melodramatically thrown over her head, the sleek female figure is based on a recurring character in Yu’s two and three-dimensional artwork, and represents the artist’s first figurative sculpture edition. The only clue as to where she is reclining is the toy car placed that accompanies her.Inspired by Yu’s endeavours in graphic design, the edition constitutes a modern, minimal reworking of motifs and references from art history, such as Matisse’s reclining nudes. Frosted white paint is applied in several layers to the cast bronze sculpture – finished with flashes of platinum leaf.
SPENDING THE DAY ON A STONE (Pink)
A new collaboration with Joakim Ojanen transfigures a smiling, rock-hopping cephalopod into polished marble and bronze.Intelligent and mysterious, an octopus emerged from Ojanen’s menagerie of bizarre characters as the perfect subject for his first foray in marble. Happy, perhaps unnervingly so, the 8-legged creature looks out from its titular stone – content with being a static observer to the ceaseless passage of time.“I see my human figures as self portraits, more or less, but the octopus is my friend. A true trooper who will stay by my side in any weather.”Natural veining running through the pink and green marble lends each sculpture its own unique character, set off by the patina formed gradually on its bronze adornments. The premise of a stone sculpture, sitting on a stone, embodies the wry humour found throughout Ojanen’s practice.
Bath Saxum
In Bath-Saxum, two figures are inextricably linked by a cerebral connection, realised in patinated bronze.Languishing in the basin of a boy’s open head, a young girl emerges from the vessel of his mind. She is an embodiment of memory, symbiosis and connection. Each sculpture is finished with gold leaf detailing, highlighting a small crack in the side of the boy’s head. “The injury is highlighted as a part of one's history, a trauma and scar that is turned into something beautiful - a feature, rather than a defect.”
Seated Bronze
In Seated Bronze, Tschabalala Self uses an everyday moment and object – sitting, on a chair – as an entry point to questions of permission and performance.Created alongside the artist’s first large-scale public sculpture, the work celebrates an otherwise-innocuous moment of relaxation. Each bronze sculpture is finished with a unique, mottled patina.“The woman is strong, beautiful and self-possessed. She represents all individuals, but women in particular, who understand the power and importance of simple gestures that assert their right to take up space.”On October 5 Self's monumental sculpture was unveiled at Coal Drops Yard in London, where it will remain on view until early 2023. To discover the collaboration in full, visit the accompanying journal.
Reclining Carrot
Hein Koh critiques societal scrutiny with a satirical twist in anthropomorphic sculpture, Reclining Carrot.Sporting thigh-scraping boots and matching gloves, the carrot’s nonchalant demeanour is completed by a slim cigarette held between plump, rouged lips. Behind a glamorous facade, the sculpture’s overt sexualisation calls out the unrealistic expectations faced by women in everyday life. In tandem with these serious concerns, Koh revels in the distinctive sense of humour which guides the absurd narratives found throughout her plant-based practice.“I want the work to speak to all the pressures that women are under: to be perfect, to be attractive, to be good moms. I want people to look at my work and think ‘Oh, I’ve been there before.’”
Magesian
Magesian, a misunderstood monster, demands care and empathy – two themes at the core of A-Lei’s practice.Informed by an original ceramic sculpture and a series of ink sketches, the beguiling brass creature clutches a similarly peculiar ride. Sepia tones nod to A-Lei’s upbringing in Taiwan – each figure hand-finished in cream automotive paint. The strange anatomy of both figures stems from a childhood passion for animatronics and anime. Any unease arising from the duo’s uncanny appearance is quickly replaced by tenderness – a deft rebuttal of prejudice and misunderstanding.“As I’m sculpting, it feels like the work becomes more and more alive.”
Woodcutter (Bronze)
James Jean’s Woodcutter, consecrated into bronze, embodies the complexity and technical prowess of the artist’s timeless compositions.The artist’s wood gathering motif evolved from references to 18th century engraving and Ninomiya Sontoku – a prominent Japanese figure of self education and diligence. Woodcutter now takes form as a young boy realised in bronze, chosen for its longevity and lustrous energy. His gathered firewood reveals glistening faces representing Kami – omnipresent spirits originating from the Shinto religion who traditionally assist hunter-gatherer groups. “As the kindling is burned, the boy is thankful to the spirits – for releasing their energy and creating heat.”
Indi
In Indi, Rafa Macarrón explores expressive figuration through brushed bronze.Indi’s elongated limbs are typical of the artist’s tendency towards exaggerated body shapes. A former physiotherapist, his anatomical knowledge fuels these alluring abstractions – a notable characteristic of both his paintings and sculptures.“They are born from a fantastic, surreal and expressionist figuration. I consider them hybrid characters closely related to my admiration for Dubuffet, Bonifacio, and Alfonso Fraile.”Indi is released alongside Fabula, a twin edition finished with black patina.
Fabula
In Fabula, Rafa Macarrón explores expressive figuration through bronze and black patina.Fabula’s elongated limbs are typical of the artist’s tendency towards exaggerated body shapes. A former physiotherapist, his anatomical knowledge fuels these alluring abstractions – a notable characteristic of both his paintings and sculptures.“They are born from a fantastic, surreal and expressionist figuration. I consider them hybrid characters closely related to my admiration for Dubuffet, Bonifacio, and Alfonso Fraile.”Fabula is released alongside Indi, a twin edition in brushed bronze.
Slingshot Requiem (Relief)
Slingshot Requiem captures a moment of respite in the aftermath of adventure — his namesake weapon inverted to become a wishbone and his body, once poised to fight, now wrapped in bandages. The work was inspired by the multimode chaos of the last 18 months, and a widely felt need to take stock and reflect before pushing forwards once again.Carved, polished, and sandblasted from a piece of quarter inch thick steel then heat treated to create a lustrous blue, purple and silver patina, the edition of 54 arrives mounted in a bespoke, white-washed solid maple frame. Developed and produced by Lamina, a new print house established by Brad Keech and James Jean, extensive hand-working and a unique surface finish mean that each relief could easily be considered an original artwork.
Descendent Verdigris
Thwarting notions of time and place, James Jean collapses eclectic, culture-crashing references into enthralling fantasy. The motif of a free-falling figure recurs throughout his oeuvre, speaking to the idea of floating in between — untethered to any particular place or reality.Descendent Verdigris, a bronze edition of 50, extends this analogy. Each sculpture is finished with a painstakingly hand-applied recreation of the blue-green patina formed naturally on the surface of oxidised metals; an innovative, multifaceted finish that echoes the character’s own liminal condition.
KIRA (Black)
Roby Dwi Antono proffers a darkly endearing, emotionally-charged take on childhood nostalgia.KIRA, a new rendition of one of the artist’s distinctive characters, has crystal resin tears carefully placed under each eye — imbuing the otherwise-robust bronze with the paradox of heroism and helplessness found throughout Dwi Antono’s practice.
Maze
Taiwanese American artist, James Jean, fuses contemporary subjects with inspiration from the past. Maze, revisits a figure originally explored in his 2008 painting, Maze.The artist pays homage to Edgar Degas' Little Dancer (c.1880), to create a fresh take on his character, this time revealing all facets and angles of her figure.
Slingshot Saxum
Thwarting notions of time and place, James Jean collapses eclectic references into enthralling fantasy.Slingshot Saxum draws its name from the Latin word for stone, continuing the lineage of preceding Aurum editions. In a quietly grotesque reading of Hammurabi’s law of reciprocity, the sculpture’s subject removes his eye and takes aim at an unidentified target.
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A limited edition is a set number of similar or identical artworks. The size of the edition denotes the total number of artworks that will ever be made, underscoring their value.
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