Johannes von Stumm’s unique combination of three different materials has attracted public and critical acclaim in a decade of successful exhibitions, both in the UK and abroad. His startlingly original sculpture, which engages continually with risk and a defiance of accepted laws, joins iron, granite and glass to create abstract or reduced figurative works in which apparently conflicting materials exist in complex harmony.
There is clearly evident spirituality in Von Stumm’s sculpture. An expansive wisdom which draws its richness from his fascination with Buddhism, Hinduism, Shamanism and Christianity, which rejects exclusive religious references and defies a single interpretation. When the human body is represented, it is represented in recognisable postures with universal meanings. The ‘Welcome Figure’ opens its arms wide to meet an approaching person. In ‘Offering’, a kneeling figure holds a bowl in its hand, pointing to a position of humility. ‘Couple’ speaks of a strong and simple unity, and the large-scale ‘Immaterial Seated Figure’ is a calm and serene observer, looking out at the world.
