Le grand oiseaux 1990

Agustin Cardenas's black sculpture presents two distinct forms that speak to each other across space. I imagine the artist slowly carving away at the dense material, letting the form emerge organically, intuitively. Each curve and plane seems to be the result of a sustained engagement with the material, where the artist is in constant conversation with the stone. There’s a real sympathy between the sculptor and their medium. The glossy surface catches the light, emphasizing the smooth, flowing lines. The way the forms swell and taper, echoing the shape of the human body, is evocative. I see Brancusi and Arp in his work, how they sought to distill forms down to their essential, archetypal shapes. Cardenas is part of this lineage, but he also brings his own sensibility, drawn from his Cuban heritage. Ultimately, it’s about how artists build on each other’s ideas, reinterpreting and reshaping them to create something new. I always find it cool when art does that.