“By revelation and imagination we are transformed by the light and shapes, the forms and voids of life “ – Anton Smit
Art is metamorphic in nature and opens a contemplative space where our perceptions can be shifted. Walking through Nelson Mandela Square one is compelled to stop, to pause and become transformed by the beauty and power of twenty-five monumental sculptures in Anton Smits latest exhibition “Colossal”. Anton Smit, the world renowned South African Sculptor, will be unveiling his latest exhibition “Colossal” at Artyli Gallery.
The inspirational feature piece is “Colossal Youth” is a three-meter-high sculpture, embodying the spirit of our times. To inspire, you must be inspired, Anton is also a poet, and inspired particularly through words, his work entwined with verse and poetry carrying a compelling intention to impact humanity on a deeper level.
Born in Boksburg in August 1954, Anton entered his first sculpting exhibition at the age of sixteen and won first prize. Following successful exhibitions in White River, Nelspruit, Pretoria and Cape Town, Smit turned to sculpting full-time to fulfil the demand for his work by galleries and private collectors.
In 1990, international recognition came in the form of exhibitions in Rome and Milan, an invitation to exhibit in New York and Hong Kong, as well as a return exhibition in Italy in 1993. More exhibitions followed in Bonn, Washington, Singapore and Koln.
Widely revered and arguably one of the major sculptors alive today, Anton’s work evokes themes of suffering, reconciliation, glory and sublimation. His works grace public and private collections locally and abroad and he was featured at SCOPE Art Fair in New York in 2017.
His body of work comprises towering human figures, nudes, heads, masks, hands, angels, floating and stretching figures, warriors, as well as abstract works, sculpted out of steel, metal, stone and a unique iron and polymer cast mixture, as well as bronze.