Sculpture produced from GKD metal fabrics

Oupa Carlos

Inspired by the use of metal fabric in an architectural context, South African architect and sculptor Jean Louw also decided to use the special material for his artworks. The varying degrees of transparency offered by various metal fabrics in particular provided him with creative opportunities for artistic expression.

This led to the sculpture entitled "Oupa Carlos", for which the respective fabric transparency directs viewers' attention to the inside of the artwork, allowing them to become part of the piece. In addition, use of various metal fabrics allowed the architect and sculptor to create differing patterns, textures, and colors. A special kind of poetry is created by the fact that the life-size sculpture of a human is produced from leftover metal fabric pieces which, thanks to their rugged material characteristics, will transcend far beyond the human lifespan.
At his request, the pieces of metallic fabric were made available to the artist by the nearest GKD production site. In keeping with his wishes, they are leftovers from architectural projects in the region.