Edward Lipski

God Stack (2007), conceived by Edward Lipski (b. 1966, London) is both attractive – the abundance of shapes delights the eye – and disturbing, due to the omnipresence of its undefined black material. Beneath this material which is neither hard nor soft in appearance, the artist has engulfed the porcelain representation of a Chinese divinity of which only the finely decorated clothing is visible. Covered from head to shoulders in curious growths, in fact a multitude of beings from Chinese mythology, the sculpture oscillates between divinity and monstrosity. This impressive amorphous mass seems to take on a metaphorical meaning while remaining indescribable. Lipski deliberately aims to remove the work from any clear path to the identification of the form represented: ‘What I’m trying to capture is a thing we don’t have a name for’. Edward Lipski’s protean sculptures are located between palpable meaning and unclear sensations. His intention is ‘not so much to shock as to create a zone for paradox, an uncomfortable space. My work may start with a disturbing impression which then leads you to a contradictory experience of nostalgia and disgust’.