An Artist Talk and Demonstration for ‘The Ark’

The first program for “The Ark” exhibition at The Church will be held on Sunday, June 22, at 3 p.m.; it will explore the process and technologies used for two of the exciting works in the show — one of which uses the latest technologies in sculpture making (3D printing), and the other a demonstration of one of the most historic sculpture techniques (the “lost wax” technique featuring the use of clay hand-modeling for casting bronze). Even more thrilling — the two artists, who come from Europe, will be in Sag Harbor for the opening of the exhibition and will be in attendance.

Artist Daniel Firman wants to talk about the elephant in the room … literally. Friman’s “Le Sommeil en Forêt” (“The Sleep in the Forest”), a life-size sculpture of an elephant, can be seen balancing on its trunk front and center in The Ark. This sculpture was made via a special 3-D printing process and printed specifically for this exhibition. Fresh flown in from overseas, Firman invites audiences to an inside look at his creative process and what it took to bring this colossal figure to life. Firman will be joined in conversation by The Church co-founder April Gornik. Following his discussion there will be a brief Q&A with the audience.

Then, with the quiet stealth of a jungle cat, artist Patrick Villas invites the audience to witness a live sculpting session in the studio space. The sculptor of “Monumental Walking Panther,” 2021, and “Cheetah,” 2006, which are both included in “The Ark,” will present a live demonstration of his process while Edwina Van der haegen offers a technical explanation of what is occurring. Following the demonstration there will be a Q&A with the audience.

Daniel Firman (b. 1966) is based between New York, Istanbul and Dreux, France. Firman studied at the Beaux-Arts in France and was immediately fascinated with dance and architecture. He taught about the body and space at ENSAL National school of Architecture of Lyon from 2004 to 2010.

Firman’s work can be found in many private and museum collections. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, and institutions such as Reflex, Amsterdam; Choi & Lager, Cologne; Pilevneli, Istanbul; MSU Broad Museum, Michigan; Ceysson-Bénétière, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Galerie Perrotin, Paris and Palais de Tokyo, Paris.

Patrick Villas lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium and in Haute-Marne, France. Villas is one of the leading Belgian animalier sculptors of his generation. His oeuvre comprises sculptures, paintings, drawings, 3D sculptures and digital photomontages.

Villas’s first digital works date back to the early 1990s. He switches back and forth between physical and digital modelling as well as between materials used, such as clay, wax, bronze, ceramic, crystal and paper. He has been exhibiting all over Europe since the late 1990s and received major solo exhibitions at a.o. the Contemporary Art Center of the Matmut and Musée Pompon, and open-air solo exhibitions of monumental pieces in several cities all over France. His works have been presented at international fairs such as TEFAF in Maastricht, Masterpiece in London, and PAD in Paris.

“The Ark” is on view Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor. For details, visit thechurchsagharbor.org.