Oscar Petter
My work seeks to explore and define the interaction between structure and emotion . Through a wide range of processes and materials I hope to encourage the viewer to reconsider the way they look at everyday objects and to scrutinise their definition of fine art . Moreover , I hope to showcase the dying art of craftsmanship . This project has strong connections to the work of artist Joseph Beuys who , through his felt suits and installation sculptures , often seeks to blur the boundaries between art and application . In addition , Cuban artist Wifredo Lam has had a big influence on my style of my work . His unique blending of the surrealist style with more ancient forms of artistic expression from his ancestral roots in Africa and Cuba is something I have channelled in this project . I have sought to explore modern themes through mediums as ancient as humans themselves such as working with clay and fibres .
My work is heavily autobiographical . My external experience is channelled into the curvature of a pot or the twists of felt . I owe much of my inspiration to the farm where I live , whose barns provide endless pieces of scrap metal and old agricultural machinery needed in different works . Alongside this I have had the privilege of being able to learn from some of the best craftspeople in their respective fields , who have started me off on my own experimentation .