Qama:Re

Gijs van Poecke sees his artistry as the modern interpretation of the Shaman. To him it was the totem that was the starting point of sculpture. He draws a connection between a mythological image (painting, stories or statues) and a totem. Because of this he would like to approach his sculptures as modern totems. Because he brings the sculptures from this subconscious, which is at first then still fantasy in his own world, to reality he indirectly influences the subconscious of the viewer.

To him it is important that his work always has a mythological potential. He plays with an abstract and mystical functionality of the objects to awaken the fantasy of the viewer. The viewer becomes invited to give his own interpretations to the work and build a personal connection. For Van Poecke is the mythological potential crucial to generate a powerful and almost inhuman energy within the viewer. Through little details Van Poecke brings a lot of dynamic into his work through which within the mind of the spectator the sculptures start moving.

His work draws mostly inspiration from the philosophy of Joseph Campbell and the totemistic principle from Emile Durkheim. He looks at different mythes from different places and time periods and combines them with inspiration from, Manga, the Heavy Metal scene and movies.

About Qama:RE he says: “My work always plays with a mythological potential. The images appear to be objects from myths. They become abstract instruments with a mysterious function. What I want to create with Qama:Re (moon king) is that the bunker feels like a kind of tomb or sacred place that you enter. There is a kind of altar that also resembles a measuring instrument or machine in the middle of the room with a large floating shield behind it that takes on a living shape through the circle. The floating shield suddenly seems like an angel floating in front of the altar, or is the altar an instrument to communicate with the angel, or is the whole thing a kind of shrine for something bigger. The space is small and intimate, which makes the large floating circle, which appears sacred and dynamic through all the rays, intense and personal. This time the angel does not go up but floats close to the visitor. it evokes a different kind of worship and feels like something that can give a victory. The altar becomes a kind of object behind which he seems to speak to the visitor who enters a kind of mystical intimate space. The bunker will turn into a mystical and mysterious temple in which several objects lie as if a ritual has taken place.”