Bronze sculpture artist Niel Jonker

New sculpture 'Colourful smoke'.

Niel Jonker's bronze, unveiled this April at the Klein Karoo Nasinale Kunstefees in his home town Oudtshoorn, is titled 'Fighter on the Roof'. The third life-size figure leans on the youthful image of Nelson Mandela sparring on top of a Johannesburg roof during the first round of the treason trial.

The artist here once more appropriates an iconic image in order to address personal matters concerning masculinity, in his trademark emotionally charged mark-making.

"A beautiful study of contradiction, of ever-changing perspective, and of irony even. It is youth that is often associated with strength - the puffed-up, big-headed variety - and yet here it is the elder who stands strong, who stands sturdy; and humbly so. And while he holds the stance of a boxer, it is not violence that he reveals but preparedness, vigilance, sharp-wittedness, conviction. He knows himself. He hints too at being an archer, the bow, the arrow, unseen; but he takes aim at a target (far ahead) we don't yet know how to find. And then look again and he's just an old man showing us who he once was." - Grame Taute.

Bronze sculpture casting is a process demanding careful collaboration between the artist and the foundry man. Since an infinite number of variables occur spontaneously along the route, every demand is made on the bond and creative skills shared by the two man team.

The Absa Cape Epic commissioned Niël Jonker to create the bronze trophy for the winning team. The slideshow below displays some of the processes involved in casting bronze sculpture by using the Absa Cape Epic trophy as example.

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Stage 1 - Conception
Adapted to the trophy's scale, this template serves as the map that keeps the artist on the road during sculpting.
"It was a very tight brief to use the logo as departure since another artist's work is complete in itself. Once I acknowledged the merits of the original design I could reduce it to an essence, freeing me up to add further components and fresh insights." slideshow image

Stage 2 - Sculpting
Natural clay remains the timeless medium that has the ability to immediately respond creatively, whatever the demand. slideshow image

Stage 3 - Mould
A plaster mould is made of the original sculpture, leaving only a cavity where the sculpture once was. This losing of the original and rebirth of new form is the magical transformation of the mould making process. slideshow image

Stage 4 - Final art work
Further sculpted to complete the artist's stylistic contributions, the trophy is then handed over to the foundry man who nurses each fine detail throughout the many demanding processes of the foundry. The foundry man's strength lies in his ability to grasp and maintain the artist's intention, dipping into his reservoir of technical knowledge, thinking on his feet while resolving obstacles, and forging forth. slideshow image

Stage 5 - Ceramic mould
A ceramic mould is made from the wax sculpture before being fired in a kiln, melting the sculpture to nothing and leaving only an empty negative space.
"I love this stage of the process. As the wax melts away, nothing but a cavity remains, hence the term 'cire perdue' (lost wax) bronze casting."
- Kim Goodwin, foundryman. slideshow image

Stage 6 - Bronze casting
While the ceramic mould is fired red-hot in the kiln, the crucible in the roaring furnace melts a special blend of non-ferrous metals. At a critical moment when the stage is set, the decisive moment occurs and the image is thrust back into being. slideshow image

Stage 7 - Finishing
Broken from the mould, the sculpture is cleaned and welded back together before a patina of acid creates the final surface finish. The race is over and the final result is an enduring testament to the bond of the team.
'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'
- Aristotle. slideshow image

Stage 8 - Complete
Especially commissioned for the Absa Cape Epic, the trophy was earned by the winning Bulls team. The bronze is placed on a base of indigenous Assegai timber, very tough and hard, a bit like the race itself.

Bronze sculpture artist Niel Jonker has been especially selected due to the similarities between his sensibility and ability to work on location, thus complimenting this unique MTB racing event staged in the same wild and magical landscape. Man and nature work in tandem through a creative process that calls for endurance, humility before the natural elements, and being willing to embrace whatever arises in the path. Jonker's bronze sculpture and landscape painting captures emotion and spirit of place, now captured in the Absa Cape Epic trophy.

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A haunting beauty possesses the limited edition bronze sculptures of this trained sculptor. Figures that resonate with a gentle, yet definite emotion have been given form through expressive mark making. This inner turmoil alludes to the beautiful yet turbulent environment, timeless yet contemporary all at once.

From his studio in Baardskeerdersbos, with it's proximity to the Cape Fold Mountains, wilderness beaches and fynbos slopes, historic farms and forgotten villages, as well as the solitude afforded by living remotely, Niël Jonker maintains a unique vision that contributes significantly toward the intellectual landscape of South African art.

The Face, when asleep is the friend of the world … more details

Niël presenting the Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu with his 80th birthday present.

Bronze sculptures by South African artist Niël Jonker | Bronze sculptures created at Niel Jonker's Baardskeerdersbos art studio

Artist Niël Jonker . In-situ landscape painting . Plein air painting . Bronze sculpture . Oil paintings . Artisan baking in South Africa