Stabiliser of Insufficient Number of Hands

Lubo Kristek's "Stabiliser of Insufficient Number of Hands" seems to have been made by someone who loves to work with their hands to create evocative forms. The first thing that hits you is this deep, ruby red color, it looks like it’s almost been bruised. Notice how the figure writhes on the cross, bound by some heavy silver elements. You can almost feel the weight of the materials, the grain of the wood, the texture of the silver against the smooth, almost slick, surface of the figure's body. What do you make of those feet? Are they talons or a root system? This piece reminds me a little of the work of artists like Kiki Smith, but rendered with Kristek's own particular flavor of the uncanny and surreal. It’s a reminder that art is never really finished, it's more of an ongoing process. It’s always in conversation with other works, and there are always new ways of seeing and experiencing it.