Statue of a Soul on Ice
This unusual statue has been produced by an artist who is both anonymous and somewhat mysterious as to origin and identity. The statue was initially observed slap-shotting on a frozen pond before stickhandling its way inside the showroom of ArtPizzaz in Montreal, an importer of decorative Chinese made oil paintings.
The owner of the gallery was reticent on divulging information about the statue maker. He gave the impression of being the statue’s player agent. A watchful eye followed the trail as the statue figure-eighted around the gallery .There was some obvious concern that an errant lifter or ”indian dribble” could damage the inventory on display.
The construction process first entailed forming wood strips from aluminum molds, followed by a sanding and staining treatment of the wood before a final mounting and assembly procedure. The result is unique and highly original due to the form, material and imagery. The workmanship and finish suggested a sensitive attention to detail .The statue seems more a representation of an ancient sporting ritual, an intemporal activity with constantly shifting interpretations.
There is something non-occidental to this work of art; a vision that is more reminiscent of an intelligence and wisdom from a deeply rooted corner of our genealogy. Rather than Western style ice hockey there is a sense of Irish hurling, Scottish shinty, or more older stick and ball games like Indian field hockey or native American lacrosse. These games had a quasi-religious element to them given their purpose to resolve conflict, heal the sick and develop character.
There is some suggestion that the statue exists is several places of experimental and artistic reality simultaneously. Like Eldridge Cleaver’s ”Soul on Ice” the statue seemes an effort to revive an eradicated and emascualted identity.
( photos courtesy Mike Lewis )
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