Artist’s Statement

The steel sculptures of Cor van Dijk (1952 Pernis) are sleek and geometric in shape. The material steel is inextricably linked to the realization of the work from the design phase.

Van Dijk's sculptures are made up of loose, precisely fitting parts of solid steel. These parts are cut from steel sheets that vary in thickness depending on the concept to be realized. By using the thickness of the steel plate as a measure in the sculpture, the rolled skin, already present on the steel, remains intact.

Looking at the sculptures, the eyes move, the attention jumps alternately from places where the space is open to the parts that take up space. The seams between the parts are important, as they measure the mass and indicate where there is space and where there is not. The artist tries to show the internal space, with layouts, possible spaces, the spaces between the parts and the massivity of the steel. All dimensions have to do with each other: the sculpture ultimately owes its presence to this exact dimensioning and the perfect connection of the different parts.

Each new concept to be realized tries to further clarify the context of the previous work. And also indicates a direction, an indication of concepts yet to be developed.

Frontally, the sculptures have an unambiguous character. But when they are looked at more closely from multiple sides, this unambiguousness disappears, to make way for a complexity that cannot be understood immediately. The seams, which are the result of the exactly fitting loose parts, create both a two- and three-dimensional drawing on and through the sculpture.

While exploring and working, a generative system has emerged in which every evolution, every addition and every realization sets a route and pursues its own goal and makes the whole thing 'hit', at least for that moment.

Realizing a sculpture is a long process. A work can only be made after the design process has been completed and the concept is ready. All dimensions must be known down to the last millimeter. Intervening during the manufacturing process or afterwards is not possible with this working method. This puts the work process under pressure – something that Van Dijk experiences as positive.

The recent sculptures consist of one part. The location of the open space and its dimensions determine the dimensions of the whole. This leads to an object in which mass (matter) and open space are even more closely connected. The sculptures are technically executed in such a way that no emphatic traces of machining of the steel are clearly visible.
Thanks to this sum of the mass, the open space, and the mutual relations of both, Van Dijk's quiet sculptures make a strong apple on the viewer.