Galerie Richard is pleased to present Peter Rogiers’ first solo exhibition in New York from November 29, 2012 through February 2, 2013. Peter Rogiers (b. 1967) is a Belgian sculptor living near Leuven. The exhibited sculptures portray his exuberant creativity that thrives on his taste for taking risks. They are characterized by an overwhelming spatial impact, an inherent dynamism achieved through antagonisms between lightness and heavy classical statuary as well as unexpected assemblages. The works are firmly rooted in art history even if they challenge it with irreverence.

The first creative idea is simply to make a good sculpture, I mean the elementary idea of what a sculpture can be: shapes, lights, balance, relationship with base, etc. That’s when I choose my subject, for example a palm tree, a bird, or a figure. The subject itself is not of significant interest to me. I always improvise and change while I’m in the process of making the work. I change the sculptures by instinct, let it rest, and then think it over to balance between rationality and intuition. Often I leave some imperfection in them, because I also think you can ‘kill’ the work if you try to refine it too much. – Peter Rogiers

Mixing different materials – steel, aluminum, epoxy, wood, polyester, acrylic resin – Peter Rogiers unifies his sculptures with a unique color. Inspired by Brancusi and Serra, B-movies, comics, fairy tales and rock ‘n’ roll, he combines high art and low culture to render a more accurate perception of our present time through contemporary sculpture. He not only uses found material, but varies fundamental elements of his own work by expanding his visual vocabulary. The inherent curved dynamic of his sculptures are reminiscent of Baroque sculpture, especially in the sculpture titled The Governess. He manipulates the classical pose of a walking man in Strange Fruit by adding abstract shapes. The interconnection of the sculpture with its base is always enjoyable and unexpected. The sculpture entitled Zilver Fruit looks like a young palm tree. One can closely see its razor-like sharp leaves which instill an unexpected sense of danger. Rogiers succeeds by taking risks and challenging control in sculpture. He also experiences limits by driving his motorcycles in the European Championship circuit.