Dominic Albinski was born in Johannesburg, in 1975. He started sculpting at a young age at the Art classes of Mercia Desmond. From the start, he was in contact with the themes that would follow him his whole life. He had an exhibition on Mandela Square in 2004 in Sandton. After finishing St John’s College he left for Paris and later Warsaw where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. His first major exhibitions where in Normandy France and at the Canadian and South African Embassies in Warsaw. Later he multiplied his shows internationally in France , Poland , South Africa and the USA. He exhibited in the Trocadero Center in Paris, and in Le Mans, Tours. La Rochelle and Bordeaux, in France .Recently, he has exhibited in the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery and the Grimandi Galleries in New York. He was awarded the ATIM top 60 Award and Artist of the Decade award by Art Tour International Magazine in New York in 2019, /2020 as well as Artist of the Future award by Art Curator Magazine.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am an artist, who is passionate about sculpture. It is this need to share my most intimate experiences, that brings me to create artworks, that express my inner being. I let people discover what I have found through my travels in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. My love of nature, and people, especially African wildlife, and my childhood in Africa, are major themes of my sculpture. I think the more one feels for humanity the more one has a need to create. It is this empathy for people, and the world around us, that feeds my art. The particular sensitivity of the artist, allows me to put my experiences into clay, and later bronze, and gives a universal, and timeless aspect to my sculptures. Of course, Africa is central to my work, as I spent most of my life here. But, my sculptures also have a deeper message, not linked to any place or time. That message can be read in Paris and New York.
Which artists have inspired me? Firstly, those closest to me; my father who was a famous writer, my childhood friends, my first Art Teacher, Mercia Desmond. Later, when I came to Paris to study, I was inspired by the Great Artists; like Giacometti, Picasso, Rodin, the Impressionists, the great figurative sculptors, of the French school; Daumier, Carpeaux, Francois Rude, or Buggati the animal sculptor. It was only later, at Art School, that I learnt the fundamentals of sculpture, through observation. I learnt to love my materials, love using them. I made my first Rhino, with the sculptor James Butler on his farm, in Radway, Warwickshire England. I clearly remember, the first sculpture of an Elephant, I sold in France, at the Arnaud Gallery, in Normandy, France. What kept me alive, was the thrill of touching the clay, and forming it to my will. Sometimes, I think of colour, and how it affects my work. An artist has to continually be on the move, to feed his talent. I am hungry for experiences, and this love of adventure is visible in my Art. An artist that relies on his past, that does not develop or create, dies inside.
Although, I am best known for my animals, their unique characters, can be related to humans as well. They are not mere representations, do not simply have aesthetic value, but hold my unique interpretation, as well. I breathe life into each one. In this way, I believe they can be considered, as truly modern, and contemporary works.
You ask me which are my favorite sculptures? It is difficult to compare. Is it the monumental works which show much suffering , works such as “The Rose” or “Madness”? Are they the portraits of Agnes , Isabella carefully revealing character study, or the pride of the “Zulu Warrior”? Is it the series of colorful women nudes? Is it the sculpture of the Peacock , Stretching Cat or Rat which show the whimsicality of my art. Is it the Man with Pipe and Conductor, more European sculptures inspired in Paris. Or is it the range of wildlife sculptures that share the heartbeat of Africa? It is the audience that must judge, but the artist must also have his say.
If there was one message to convey, it would be the how lucky we are to be able to create, and the joy and wonder of the universe, of animals and of the human condition. It is possible even to find answers in suffering and in our journey through art we are able to understand more and find more valuable answers to questions and our common human identity. The value of art is both in its power to move, shock, stir emotions, pose questions, and maybe even it can teach us a thing or too! If on top of this, we are able to see beauty in art, then it has achieved its’ purpose.
What does the future hold for me as an artist? I would like to continue to develop, make new works, continue to discover new countries, cultures, and people, that can feed my art, and my passion for sculpture. Of course, I would like my art to reach a wider audience, and communicate my message to more people in more countries. I would like to discover colors, in my art and in the world around us. I would like to become more precise in details, and more large, and imaginative, in my subjects .I would like for my art to become truly contemporary, eternal, and timeless, in its’ meaning.
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/domalbinski/
Twitter https://twitter.com/domalbinski
Pinterest domalbinski
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/domalbinskiart/
Facebook @domalbinskiart
