Interviews

Figurative and Abstract Sculptures by David Vanorbeek

David Vanorbeek

David Vanorbeek

David Vanorbeek is a talented and professional sculptor, who comes from Belgium, but living and working in the South of France. He has a huge respect for nature and life. He is a happy man. We took an interview with David Vanorbeek and he told us about his love to art and creativity and we are pleased to represent this exclusive interview at AstrumPeople. Thank you for staying with us and enjoy reading.

AP: David, tell us about your first sculptures. What did they look like?

DV: My first work was a sculpture of a horse. It was approximately 10 years ago, I was already at the end of my twenties when I made this sculpture. I remember my mother asking me for years “Do you think that a job will on your head from the sky?”. I always thought it would!  And on that day it did. When I made the horse-sculpture of iron wire, I remember that I was thinking: one day my grandchildren (I didn’t have any children then yet) will say: “It is the first sculpture which our grandfather made!” It’s a funny thoughts, but I realised I found my job that fell from the sky.

AP: Do you have any formal education in Sculpture or were you self-taught?

DV: I am self-taught, both in sculpting and domain of metal. I think it is a good to be self-taught, pure, original and comes from your personal creativity. Sometimes I don’t even want to look at works of others; I am just afraid to be influenced. It happened that I had a good idea for a sculpture and later on I saw it on the Internet… Once someone was talking about one of my sculptures as if I had stolen the idea, which is certainly not true. That lady used the expression “L’œil fait voleur”, meaning “The eye is a thief”. I wanted to make the sculpture she was already talking about in a monumental version. Once the sculpture was finished, I stolen her title and called the sculpture “L’œil fait voleur”.

AP: What genre are your works?

David Vanorbeek Sculputures

L’œil fait voleur (The eye is a thief)

DV: Like many artists I started making figurative works and then moved to abstract ones. The first was a horse, the second was maybe a camel (haha), but the third was an insect, a wasp. As a child I was fascinated by nature and its little creatures such as frogs, salamanders, insects and etc… Thanks to these little creatures we have nature and our gardens, fruits, vegetables. By making sculptures of insect (e.g. frogs, rats and etc) I want to show them my respect. That’s why the perfect environment for these sculptures is nature. Today I am more involved into abstract and monumental sculptures, but I still like to create these sculptures for nature. By looking at my works people rediscover the beauty of nature.

AP: How would you describe your sculptures?

DV: I always try to make them decorative. I like to watch beautiful things and insects are part of them, so I make beautiful sculptures! I believe beauty is lost today on many levels. By showing my sculptures to people it gives them happy feelings! A second aspect of my work is that they are all made of recycling metal. It is a part of my philosophy. As for me it is quite logical to recycle and recuperate the metal.

AP: What kind of equipment and techniques do you use to create your sculptures?

DV: Sometimes, like for the small insects I only need a wire and a pair of tongs. And for bigger insects and abstract sculptures I need welding-machine, grinder and that’s all.

David Vanorbeek SculputuresAP: Would you consider yourself as an expert in this sphere?

DV: Yes, I am an expert as every sculpture is always my own idea. Today there are people copying my works. Is it like a compliment to me? I don’t know. You can copy an idea, but not the soul in it!

AP: What is the formula for success in your activity?

DV: I think that the formula for success is not to look for it. I am a hard worker, I believe in what I do, my work is good. So considering a long period of time, your work dies with you or it succeeds. Success can be a result, but it never may a goal. One of the reasons for that is a long way of life (smiling). For me to be creative is a need, if I am not creative for a few days I become unhappy.

AP: Is there someone who supports you in your creativity?

DV: My mother is proud of me (smiling). I believe it is also thanks to my wife, who is one of my greatest fans and who can deal with uncertain financial incomes. She is an artist herself. We have a mutual project and make sculptures together. A marriage of two arts. Metal meets textile!

AP: Would like to wish something to your readers and AstrumPeople?

DV: When I was 14 years old my father died. One minute before he died nobody knew he was going to die. On that day two Gods died for me, the first one was my father, the second one was the one we all know. On that day I became adult in some things and stayed child forever in other things. I learned that I will never do anything against my will. I wish all people could choose free will.

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