ABANA Featured Forgings
Online Exhibition of Forged Work
Darkness & Light
The theme for this exhibition is Darkness & Light. It was interesting to see how people interpreted the theme in different ways. This online exhibition is a curated showcase of selected works. In addition, some works are appearing in The Anvil’s Ring, Spring 2024 issue. Finally, you can see many more of the entries received on our social media accounts over the coming weeks and months. Thank you to all the participants in this Featured Forgings Online Exhibition.
On view March 1, 2024 – July 1, 2024.
The Crown of Päivätär (Goddess of the Day) by Kirsi Vahtera
The Crown of Kuutar (Goddess of the Moon) by Kirsi Vahtera
Kirsi Vahtera
Crowns of Päivätär and Kuutar are part of Mythological Finland-project. Päivätär is the goddess of the light and day, Kuutar is the goddess of the moon in Finnish mythology. They sit together in the sky and make the most beautiful fabrics and jewelry from silver and gold. The relationship between them maintains a balance between light and dark.
Dreaming In A Way No.2, 16″ x 12.5″. Steel, 2023
Image by Kick Art Studio.
Painting with volume, heat, texture, reflecting light. Dreaming In A Way is inspired by my relationship with the steel. The artworks poetically express feelings, movements, memories, sensations, and attractions through color, shape, and texture, therefore, through the intrinsic characteristics of the material.
The works are made by shaping a flat 16-gauge steel sheet with a hammer. The heat, used in part, allows me to define the shapes in a more harmonious way. The colors are obtained exclusively through the use of heat and sanding techniques. Working to highlight one or the other characteristic of the steel I enter a dreamlike world in which sparks, shiny angles, undulations, hollow lines, embroideries guide my path, and where light and dark enclose multiple nuances.
Dreaming In A Way No.4. 16″ x 12.5″, Steel, 2023
Image by Kick Art Studio.
Bowen Beaty
Impact Lamp. Forged steel and rice paper, dimmer switch installed in the base. This piece is meant to reflect on the properties of hot steel with rounded shapes of blocks being squished and misshapen by pressure.
Annie Higgins
Figurines. This series of figurines by artist-blacksmith Annie Higgins explores the impulse to reform the human body from the earth; how people have always taken materials like iron, stone, clay and cloth and transformed them into depictions of the body. When Annie forges, she layers fuller marks at different angles, aiming to create a complex interplay of facets across an object. When handled, light and shadows interact with these facets to create a shifting effect. The plasticity and fluidity of the forms that she sees as inherent to forgework is central to her process and what she is primarily drawn to in the work. However, the majority of her audience will view these pieces in a gallery setting or as photographs which can visually flatten craftwork and separate it from the viewer. It is therefore important that the artist is able to display images which demonstrate this complexity of form and the contrast of light and shadow when viewers are unable to interact with the pieces directly as physical objects. These photos of Annie’s work are taken by photographer Peter Higgins, Annie’s father, who works in conversation with the artist and uses multiple direct and reflected light sources to ensure that the facets are distinct and the intention of the work is communicated. Close up images of her work are especially valuable in directing attention to key details in a piece’s form and are usually displayed alongside the objects in exhibition.
Joe Whisonant
Panel. Made with scrap materials, traditional forging and repousse techniquesere forged and riveted together.
Max Reed
Clarity. Colorado Yule Marble and Steel, 20 x 17 x 10 in. Sometimes a vision becomes clear when two ideas are brought together. The steel and stone elements of this piece combine to compose the final abstract symmetrical form.
The central steel rib was forged from a piece of flat bar. The bar was slit lengthwise so that the two legs could be bent outwards, and the corner points were forged in. The two symmetric cage elements were forged and riveted together.
James Weir
Untitled. Eight recycled horseshoes forged into a candle holder.
Gus Baldwin
Death Chandelier. Originally inspired by the Hereford Cathedral project, the ‘Death Chandelier’ derives from the brutalist torture devices used in the medieval era by the church. The lighting fixture is designed to be hung for display, evoking fear of pain or death.
George Bandarra of Bandi’s Iron Hammer
Mercie’s Bones. Forged stainless steel, copper, steel, and bones.
