It all ends with beginnings |
Ivan Cremer’s Phoenix series is an ongoing body of work (2022 – present) that emerges from a deep interplay between materiality and narrative, underscoring his philosophy that materials and subject matter are inseparably linked. In this series, Cremer recontextualizes discarded materials he finds amidst industrial ruins and agricultural equipment, transforming them into evocative symbols of decay and rebirth. These salvaged elements, with their inherent histories, are not merely raw materials but ledgers of time, imbued with the weight of the places they come from. By integrating these materials, Cremer captures a sense of the past, echoing both the destruction of the old and the potential for renewal, much like the mythological phoenix.
Viewing Cremer’s practice as a whole, there is a symbiotic relationship between the subjects he explores and the materials he uses. The materials, often carrying historical and geographic resonance, guide his sculptural renderings, shaping the narrative as much as they are shaped by it. The Phoenix series, through its use of found industrial debris, embodies this relationship, turning the remnants of human industry into powerful metaphors for transformation and resurgence, reflecting both the decay and regeneration inherent in natural cycles.
Sprouting life from the earth, the ancient root—the base of an olive tree, the claw of the phoenix—forces itself toward the light, toward the sun. Within the sculpture, the evolution of life is present in one being. Just as the tree serves as an anchor between the earth and sky, the entity of the phoenix anchors itself within the fourth dimension, time, in its process of construction toward the sky. The connection between the natural and industrial is represented through its materials. From the organic wood, through traditional metal construction materials, to a wing crafted using assembly methods found in aircraft.
In the second Phoenix in this series, the relationship with the earth is expressed through anchors—hooks derived from agricultural equipment—symbolising the last efforts to gather strength and regain momentum before launching into the skies to begin a new journey of life. At the time of publishing, Cremer is working on completing the wing of his largest Phoenix for a private collection in the Netherlands.
