"The sculptures of Petra Boshart stem from a family tradition of stonemasons combined with the history of stone carving reaching back as far as prehistoric artefacts. Petra uses personal experiences as points of departure, attempting to reduce them to their essence, making them accessible for others. In search of these cores, stone has become her ally.
Concentration, intensity and tranquillity are key concepts, notions that have become very relevant in today’s turbulent world. The images are never static; the playful search is a distinctive feature."
Anne Berk
"I’m fascinated by the mysteries of life and form.
We humans are part of nature and follow the same laws of development and growth.
Over the past twenty-five years my work has evolved from the figurative towards the abstract, preserving certain physical aspects. My primary goal is to discover forms with strong associative qualities.
I’m in search of the parallels between natural forms and human existence. I try to capture this as well as my own experiences in stone in such a way that though the image is new, it appears it has always been there.
The sculptures might be archetypical, but I like them best when they surprise me in the end and I can discover even more meaning.
I work with a variety of stones, ranging from the size of my hand to large blocks that weigh up to 5000 kg; I like soft and compliant soapstone as well as hard granite.
I use machines, but my hands will always be the main instruments: they think and feel by themselves and leave the best space for intuition.
Travelling all over the world and connecting with people from other cultures have been major sources of inspiration, professionally as well as personally.
I participated in stone symposia in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy.
My sculptures are part of private and public collections in Holland, Belgium, France and Italy. My work has been shown in galleries in Holland, Belgium, France and Spain."
Petra Boshart
