COBUS HAUPT - UITZICHT

Haupt is a bronze sculptor who draws on history, popular culture and tradition to produce artworks that are visually interesting, tactile and playful. The process and method of bronze casting informs Haupt’s work both formally and conceptually. The tendency to include cracks, flaws and unresolved imperfections that bears witness to the casting process catalogues the tactile history and the bronze technique itself, and also comments on his rendering of the human figure. Human beings are understood as unique, fragile and remarkable due to his or her imperfections, flaws and scars. These human ‘defects’ and ‘deformities’ bear, as in the case of the bronze casting process, witness to their engagement with life. Due to the importance of the process, the artist undertakes all the aspects of the sculpting process himself from the mould making to the casting.
 
Haupt’s artistic process commences with live models from whom he creates figurative sculptures that portray the naturalistic qualities of the model while harnessing the expressive qualities of the medium. Once the sculptures are cast in wax, various sections or parts are removed and combined with other figures and/or objects. These assemblages juxtapose various concepts to allow for serendipitous new meaning and creation. Apart from the human figure, Haupt also includes found objects including traditional African figurative sculptures, broken pieces of ceramic cutlery or childhood remnants such as Lego or Meccano. Haupt’s work also relies on an autobiographical element as he draws inspiration from his family and objects from his past.