José Soler Art - Kraken - XXL

Introduction José Soler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xmToe0GrYo

NOTE: The photos do not do justice to the sculpture; in person it is even more impressive. The height of the work is appropriate to be able to enjoy it. At the end of the photos you can see some pictures of the Kraken (Squid) construction.

Explanation of the work:
This work was created for the exhibition “Refugiados” (Refugees); in it I try to show the difficulties faced by refugees who leave their country against their will to come to European shores. The sculpture refers to all the shipwrecks whose existence we will never know; all those anonymous people swallowed by the sea about whom history will never speak. They are anonymous journeys, people who perish while trying to leave their lands. The figure of the Kraken, a mythical sea creature, represents the difficulties of the journey—the wind, the fatigue, the waves that rock the ship at its mercy. We see how it traps the ship between its tentacles and sinks it to the depths, disappearing without a trace, anonymous journeys that no one will give an echo to.

Inspiration drawn from references in Jules Verne’s book “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” In this composition I play with the perpendiculars of the two central pieces, the ship and the Kraken, filling the spaces with the arms and tentacles that I have heated and molded with a blowtorch. It also plays with the idea of the sinking of the ship with the Kraken’s arms breaking the masts.

NOTE 2:
The sculpture is divided into two parts to facilitate its transport.
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José Soler is a sculptor based in Spain whose works have been exhibited nationally, as well as in Monaco, Italy and France. Through each of his pieces, he strives to bring out the melody that lives inside each of us. Soler cites the transformation of cold steel into sculpture as his way of connecting with what is invisible to our eyes and what can only be perceived with universal feelings.

- Diploma in Technical Architecture.
- Degree in Building Engineering.
- Program for European Projects in the Cultural and Creative Sector
- Official Artisan of the Region of Murcia

Subsidies received:
-2021: Development of the project “Seda de acero”. Economic aid, under a regime of competitive funding, aimed at professionals in the plastic and visual arts for project development. (REGIÓN DE MURCIA, CONSEJERÍA DE EDUCACIÓN Y CULTURA E INSTITUTO DE INDUSTRIAS CULTURALES Y DE LAS ARTES DE LA REGION DE MURCIA ( ICA ))
-2020: Development of the project “Los Tres Pilares”. Economic aid, under a regime of competitive funding… same as “Seda de acero”
-2019: PLAN EXE subsidized by the autonomous community to promote the artist and his work, with a solo exhibition.

Awards:
2022- Artistic Merit. Luxembourg Art Prize. Luxembourg
2022- Accesis Crearte Molina. Murcia
2018- Critics’ Prize- Genova, Italy
2017- Artist of the Year Trophy- Cesenatico, Italy
2017- Leone dei Dogi Biennial Award- Venice, Italy
2016- Palma d’Oro Per l’Arte. Montecarlo. Monaco.

Meet the artist:
Instagram: @josesoler.art