Contini Art UK

News – 8 March 2017

David Begbie MRBS has donated his sculpture “CZIN”, 2016, to a silent auction in aid of Project Polunin, a new production that will premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London. Taking place at the Project Polunin gala dinner, proceeds from the artist’s donation will help to support Sergei Polunin’s upcoming program. The unique sculpture is one of a recent series of figurative forms, both male and female, whose subjects are contemporary archetypal expressions of masculine and feminine where each contains aspects of the other. “CZIN” has a particular stance and posture expressing fitness, strength and balance; often witnessed within the discipline of contemporary dance and ballet.

David Begbie is renowned for his figurative steel mesh sculptures and his work is exhibited and collected worldwide. His evocative, sensual and optically dynamic sculpture often comprise images of fine human physique, ‘CZIN’ 2016 being an excellent example of this. His rendition of a male dancer is poised in a way which implies, rather than describes, dramatic movement as it is a sculptural description of muscular tension, elegance and control. The artist’s intention is to place emphasis on the male dancer’s physique whereby the dancer’s body has become a finely tuned instrument or medium for creative artistic expression and quite literally as a creative physical force. Begbie’s transparent sculpture encapsulates an enigmatic and elegantly poised figure, captured as a timeless moment of three-dimensional suspended animation. The meticulously shaped metallic membrane absolutely convinces the viewer that a living, breathing human presence occupies the space, delineated by Begbie’s sculptural skin. Using strategic lighting a compositional fusion of sculpture and projected shadow transforms the stoic image into a dynamic and dazzling optical celebration of human physical form.

The Project Polunin Gala Dinner took place on the 23^rd of Ferbruary 2017 at the Banqueting House, London. The artist’s donation was a part of a silent auction; bids were being placed on Givergy tablets throughout the evening, while there was also a live auction conducted by Peer MacDonald, a raffle draw and a live performance by Lisa Friend and Sergei Polunin.

Sergei Polunin is a prestigious Ukranian ballet dancer, seen by many as the natural heir to Nureyev and Baryshnikov. Sergei enrolled in the Royal Ballet School at the age of 13, in 2003. He became a first soloist at the Royal Ballet in 2009 – and in June 2010, the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever Principal Dancer. Sergei left the Royal Ballet in 2012 and went to Russia at the invitation of Igor Zelensky, to dance with the Stanislavsky Music Theatre in Moscow and the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and in 2014. Sergei started his collaboration with the famed American photographer and music director, David LaChapelle, starring in the stunning dance video of Hozier’s Take Me to Church. Sergei achieved global recognition when Take Me To Church went viral, receiving more than 16 million hits; the video proved to be the seminal change in Sergei’s career aspirations when it formed the center piece in “Dancer”, a highly acclaimed documentary, created by Gabrielle Tana.