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ARTIST CV
Name: Malcolm Donald Solomon
Date of Birth: 17 December 1968... Sagittarius...
Primary Art mediums: Bronze, Nickel, Aluminium, Resin compounds and Pewter Sculptures, Chairs, Tables, Doors, Lights, Hardware and Objets d`art.
Currently exploring concrete sculpture and Furniture.
Studied/self-taught: Self taught... learning from lecturers who couldn't cut it in the real world was irritating an a complete waste of time!
If studied, where: Cape Tech - Fine art.... for 6 months.
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Introduction to who you are/artist statement:
It’s impossible to place him into the confined `box` of any particular movement in art as his work
crosses the boundaries of time, genre and subject matter. People perusing his extensive portfolio are surprised to discover that its all the work of the same artist and not that of many other artists.
His sculptures range from the truly classical right through to the cutting edge of abstract modern art
and beyond into an undefined genre of 3-dimensional bronze representations of observations of the
abstract mind and creative consciousness.
The common thread among all his works is the profound insight and thought that has gone into each
sculpture, with ever deeper layers of information embedded into the work. Some people can sense
these layers without being able to name them; and once aware of his insights say “Ah I see”.
He has worked with most materials imaginable and done wood and stone carving, furniture, paint
finishes, sign-writing, murals, sketching, paintings, children's book illustrations and much more... He
has explored most areas of art and materials and to this day loves and is undaunted by mixing up
and experimenting with any material or product.
As a young child he spent much of his free time on the beach or in the surf and was enchanted by
nature with a particular passion for the ocean.
His High school career was spent at Grey High School in Port Elizabeth. It was here that his creative
talent in art started to take shape.
His two years of National Service was spent in the Media Dept designing posters, banners etc and all
printable things for the Army. As well as doing sign writing and even creating terrain sand models on
the Angola border.
It was here that he learnt the art of lithographics and working with old school printing presses.
He took a gap year after the Army exploring Europe and all of its art, culture and architecture.
He spent 4 years in Boulder, Colorado in the USA where he carved out a niche market doing custom
hand carved sculptures, furniture and front doors for the `jet set` in Aspen, Vale and Denver while
also experimenting with mould making and various casting mediums.
He returned to South Africa in 1999 and spent the following few years doing bespoke furniture, front
doors and wood carving and pushed further into architectural and ornamental casting.
In 2005 he canned the furniture/woodwork as it was a pain in the arse having a workshop full of
staff.
He discovered the magical art of bronze casting and fell in love with its unique properties and has
derived huge satisfaction in pushing bronze to the limit of its endurance and how one can achieve
the appearance of weightlessness through sheer strength, resilience, balance and counter balance.
He currently has his studio on the Bitou River in Plettenberg Bay.
He is inspired by the sublime beauty, brutal energy and simple but highly complex wonders of the
natural world that surround us... the contradictory pattern of life on earth and the connections
between all things... where nature shows no sympathy or favouritism to the `cute or precious`.
He spends much of his time pondering and mentally reverse-engineering everything that surrounds
him, from a micro organism on the hair of an insect on a blade of grass to quantum physics and the
`God particle`.
He feels very strongly about the environment and his task to help protect and draw attention and
awareness to it.
He is fascinated and astounded at what we humans do to one another through ego, greed, fear and
ignorance...and all 'justified' from behind the safety nets of religion, race, sexism or patriotism....
In 2006 he opened his own gallery on Main St in Plettenberg Bay. This launched his sculpting career
and the volume of works that he has produced since then is substantial, from small gifts to
monumental bronze pieces.
His early works were seemingly simple and naïve, but all had a deeper hidden focus on poise,
balance and flow.
His more recent work aside from the many commissions is far more stylized, abstract or organic in
nature with much greater attention given to contrasting textures and planes and the effect that
light, shadow and reflection work with the sculpture to suggest form and movement. The use of
negative spaces and implied shapes where the eye subconsciously completes the form. The subjects
of his latest works are about his experiences and observations of life on Earth; as well as 3
dimentional manifestations of his thoughts on personal, social, financial or political topics.
Exhibition History:
Permanently on solo exhibit at his gallery 'Malcolm Solomon Sculpture' at the Upper Deck Centre on
Main Street in Plettenberg Bay since 2006.
Permanent solo sculpture garden exhibition at 'Sky Villa Boutique Hote'l at Plettenberg bay since
2016.
Wildlife sculpture permanently on exhibit at the 'Charles Greig Gallery' in Hyde Park Corner in JHB
since 2008.
Contemporary sculptures and Tables permanently on exhibition at the 'Julie Miller Gallery' in JHB
since 2016.
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