Leslie Sacks Fine Art - Los Angeles - “Post War Dance” series featured in July/August Sculpture Magazine)

Cheryl Ekstrom and JD Hansen

Leslie Sacks Fine Art

California sculptors Cheryl Ekstrom and JD Hansen are both drawn to the difficult subject of war and its aftermath. Their new series, "Post War Dance," seeks to find a symbolism capable of depicting the most draining of human and animal experiences in a heroic sculptural format. Large-scale, abstracted human figures frequently accompanied by mythological creatures seem to emerge as if from a long, dark period of deprivation. Recognizing the sobriety of the subject, the artists choose to celebrate life, despite reminders of death.

Reminiscent of archaizing sculptures from many different cultures and eras, Ekstrom and Hansen's massive compositions are rendered with 21^st-century vision and technology, and much sweat and tears. Their arduous process, often undertaken on ladders or bent knees, began with welding an armature for each sculpture, then modeling clay over the structures. The final works were cast, piece by piece, using the lost-wax method. Lastly, they were covered in a silver nitrate patina and a top coating of titanium and buffed with steel wool.

The five life-size pieces were installed outside on concrete plinths. Two thin figures angled toward each other to read as vignette, almost a discrete installation. By itself, each work is very delicate and could easily be overwhelmed by the scale of trees and buildings. Installing the sculptures as a group gave them the necessary visual mass. The largest piece, placed in the middle, provided a center of gravity and sense of stability. A composition with a horizontal orientation, located immediately to the left of center, allowed the eye to continue scanning until it encountered the tall, strong, totemic form at the end.

Huge creatures and their riders shed their embattled armor to reveal textured scars. The physical evidence of what they have endured makes them even more regal and alive. As a metaphor for life, the figures represent putting personal desires aside, doing what is needed, and surviving, despite extreme pain and loss, marked with indelible reminders of the ordeal. In this series, Ekstrom and Hansen acknowledge that life's true worth comes from the struggle, pain, and energy of those who are passionately concerned with doing what is right and needed, no matter what the cost.

--Roberta Carasso, Sculpture Magazine, pp. 69-70, July/August 2013 issue