“CULPRIT” 2010
H1815mm Bronze
Edition of 6
It is with dismay, disbelief and sadness that we receive news of the death of yet another Rhino. To think that educated animal lovers, vets and game rangers, are implicated in their heartless, futile destruction, is beyond comprehension. The god of mammon holds man in the palm of his hand, compelling these illogical and shortsighted actions. To meet a growing demand for a mythical medicinal concoction for the superstitious, our precious heritage is being decimated. The Rhinoceros horn, composed entirely of keratin, the same substance found in hair and nails, is purported to be an aphrodisiac. Research shows clearly that this is an unsubstantiated claim. The phallic-looking horn of the Rhinoceros possibly evokes the principle of “sympathetic magic”. Whatever the reason for the belief, greed for materialism continues to result in the destruction of our environment.
The “Culprit” brings to the surface uncomfortable questions about the way we view ourselves. What then, is the fate of the children unwittingly brought into this world, the result of man’s concept of his power through sexuality? What kind of moral culture are we imparting to the next generation? How do we, the custodians of our earth, solve the desolation in the cry of the infant, whom we as responsible adults are supposed to protect and provide for?
The “Culprit” is an uncomfortable sculpture, the Rhino horn replicated in the penis, a symbol of manhood, the infant unconsolable in the panic stricken father’s arms. Emotional tension in the body of the culprit must lead us to question our daily choices, and the effects they have on our environment, the future of our earth, and most importantly our children