Walter Horak

Working within a tradition that is several millennia old, I face the inevitable challenge of making the human form somehow relevant or original.  Toward that end, I find compelling a notion advanced by art critic Donald Kuspit, who proposed that sculpture was “metaphor making in three dimensions”.  My intention is to extend the figurative tradition through metaphor: to compare human form to other aspects of experience and in so doing to express metaphysical ideas of tension, balance, and temporality.  Sources of inspiration can be wildly diverse, from calligraphy to modern dance, from plant forms to geology, from the efforts of other artists, ancient to contemporary.

I have exhibited sculpture widely over the years, in one person, group, and juried shows and have gallery representation in locations across the country.  My work is represented in numerous private and public collections in the United States and abroad.  While bronze is my preferred medium, I have a working knowledge of other 3D media, especially wood.

My formal art education includes a BA from Harvard in Art History, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a Master of Fine Arts from University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.  As much as that education informs what I do as a sculptor, I have also worked in various trades for a number of years.  That practical experience has given me a perspective that invariably helps in addressing challenges and solving problems, whether technical or aesthetic.