OBEX 2, MIXED MEDIA, 2018

The OBEX series is created with stone but consists of combinations of different materials. Badriah has developed a procedure to create new sculptural elements. OBEX 2 is a cast of the negative space of two sides of a ruptured stone. A new element is formed of the imprint of both sides, uniting the surfaces to an independent piece. This is the OBEX in essence so to say. This sculpture was created using an ancient Japanese stone splitting technique. The negative space of the rupture is cast, forming a stone-like sheet which is the inversion of both surfaces. Standing, nude and powerful, it is reminiscent of the violence that has come to pass and out of which it originated.

Where Badriah’s early works were much more about fragility, her recent works are bold statements. With a hammer and wedges she finds the essence of what lies beneath the matter by splitting it open and showing its insides to us. To the artist the rough surface is like the inner world of the stone, harboring invisible turmoil that can only meet the eye by the act of splitting. There is something within that stone wishing to come out and manifest itself. There is a distinct field of tension in which to work: the stone might crack in a very unpredictable manner, catalyzing a new chain of events in dialogue with the material itself. OBEX 2 is a standing piece that was cast from the rupture in a block of stone. It is the remnant of the process of splitting and bears witness of both sides of the crevice. The word ‘obex’ is Latin for obstacle. It is the wall that comes into being when emotions are repressed. Only by tearing down this wall can we begin to be our genuine selves. This is a scale model for a monumental piece that one can stand in front of.

 Ttile: [OBEX 2], Mixed Media, 90cm x 40cm x 25cm, 2019