The negation of the sense of quantity and volume in modern stainless - steel metal sculptures

In the specific practice of exploring and innovating spatial concepts in modern metal sculpture, in addition to the exploration of interior space and negative space mentioned above, there is another kind of spatial understanding achieved through the negation of the traditional sense of volume and scale in sculpture.

Traditional sculpture emphasizes occupying space to the greatest extent possible in a solid form, focusing on the treatment of lumps on the surface of the sculpture and the expression of volume; however, by negating the volume and form of the sculpture, and changing the originally full, solid and dynamic surface of the sculpture into a dry, uneven form lacking volume, it negates the spatial concept of traditional sculpture from another perspective.

If the previous exploration of interior space and negative space was a macroscopic exploration of spatial understanding in modern metal sculpture, then the negation of mass blocks and volume proposed here is a microscopic exploration of spatial concepts.

Among artists who explore space, Alberto Giacometti stands out with his unique style. He artificially excludes the elements of volume and scale that sculpture typically emphasizes, leaving only extremely limited space. This allows his works to distance themselves from realistic expressionist styles and keenly express inner turmoil. The slender human figures, the weathered, pitted, and rough architecture, the stiff and deformed forms, are all enveloped in a desolate and cold atmosphere, their forms detached from reality.

It can be said that the work does not depict the figures in real life, but rather the author's own view and understanding of the world: indifference, loneliness, discrimination, alienation, and a clear-headed despair of that particular era that he was powerless to reverse or stop. The work's use of space reveals existentialist philosophical thought, and its form also shows a negation and subversion of mass and volume.