Featured artist: Rudi Jass

‘Think Outside the Square’ by Rudi Jass. Image courtesy of the artist.

Rudi Jass recently won the Gate Gallery Acquisitive Sculpture Prize, the major prize at Sculpture and the Vineyards 2010. He was also awarded the Dame Elizabeth Murdoch Award at the Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition Annual Awards in 2006. Some of his corporate clients include Emirates Airlines, Lend Lease and AV Jennings. His work is also represented in many private collections in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Uk and the US.



Z+K: You were born in Germany, and emigrated to Australia in 1983? What made you choose this country to live?
RJ: I had lived in Papua New Guinea for 3 years before I followed a girl to Australia in 1983. I loved Melbourne immediately because it reminded me of my hometown, Hamburg, and the weather was much better.

Z+K: You have been working as a full time sculptor since 1990. What inspired you to become a sculptor?
RJ: I was always interested in design and when I arrived here in 1983, I found that there was almost nothing I wanted to buy for my home which had a contemporary feel to it. So I started building my own. Later I met Laszlo Biro who is a trained sculptor and I started what I refer to as a permanent apprenticeship with him. These years with Laszlo, plus my interests in industrial design, and my technical ability as a former PORSCHE technician, formed the base of the sculptures I create today.

‘Silver Leaves’. Image courtesy of the artist

Z+K: You were featured on the ABC television programme, ‘Gardening Australia’ where you talked about your garden sculptures. ‘The Garden’ has a rich history, from the gardens of Versailles, to the English style garden; and the beautiful Japanese gardens. Do you believe Australians embrace the garden as a place of beauty and meditation in the same way as other cultures?
RJ: When I started making my first water feature with stainless steel and stone in 1991, there was nothing else on the market except some overly ornamental concrete features like little cherubs or mermaids. I think around the early 90’s people started to look at their garden as more than just a place for the Hills Hoist, and wanted to utilise the space as an outdoor extension of their homes. A logical conclusion would be to decorate these outdoor “rooms” with some kind of art. In recent years contemporary sculpture has been incorporated into these garden spaces, creating a connection between man and nature.

Z+K: Which materials do you believe tend to be more popular from a commercial point of view?
RJ: It seems to be that concrete and stone products, usually imported from China, are still popping up everywhere; but I am not really interested in what material is popular from a commercial point of view.

Z+K: Does this criteria influence what you create your works from?
RJ: As I said, I am not influenced by the commercial popularity of materials; I prefer to work mainly with stainless steel and corten steel; I also incorporate elements of natural stone and glass. I am passionate about creating sculptures that have an extremely long lifespan and need very little maintenance.

Z+K: On your website it states that, all pieces are handmade, small or limited editions. How important is this element to your work? Do you feel that it is important that artists limit the duplications made of their works?
RJ: All my pieces are handmade; this is the only way to achieve a quality with which I am satisfi ed. I can’t speak for other artists; but I choose to make some of my sculptures in limited editions of 8 to retain exclusivity.

‘Fossil’. Image courtesy of the artist

Z+K: Do you handcraft the works yourself? Do you have a studio?
RJ: I do most of the work myself and I have an assistant who works for me on a part time basis. I also work closely with an engineering firm that makes some components for me because my machinery is not set up for it. I make use of modern technology by using a CAD program to work out some design problems and I get certain items laser cut. I work from a 250 sq/m studio/workshop.

Z+K: In some cases it is cheaper for an artist to employ someone to fashion the works for them. Do you think this is becoming more common? Do you think that it affects the quality of the work?
RJ: As an artist you also have to be a businessman. In some instances it is not viable to do the work by yourself. I have produced sculptures up to 5 m tall. That is about the limit for me as my studio is only 6 m high. Steel sculptures in that size are also very heavy and you need very expensive lifting equipment. If you know somebody with the studio space and the necessary equipment; whom you can trust to work exactly with your design and specifications to realise your sculpture in it’s larger form; I don’t think it is a problem that someone else has manufactured the piece.