soft gym

Vincent Dion Artist’s statement, 2018- present 

My current sculpture is made out of scavenged firehose, clothing and mixed mediums. Scavenged firehose has dramatic sculptural potential and personal metaphoric meaning. The overall theme of the work poses the question, “What constitutes strength?” Abuse of power seems rampant. Who can or do we trust? Can we trust authority? What remedies do we have to protect and nurture our own existence? How do we stay strong, emotionally and physically? In the ancient book, The Art of War, Sun-tzu: writes “neutralize an adversary’s military power, but not through battles.”

The formative core of my work stems from the family lore of my father’s early death from injuries in the Navy and my grandfather’s tragic death, a fireman who died saving a boy from a well. By way of these hero worship stories, I have constructed, deconstructed, and created proxies for themes. As a result, water has been a primary theme along with nature, nurture, contradiction and parody.

I’m using firehose to create a parody of gyms. Personalized training creates strength but is often a replacement for and contributes to the perceived lack of value in manual labor. Making art needs manual labor. Using firehose and hand-dyed underwear suggests a human connection to my oddly scaled sculptures. Additionally, my wall assemblages including firehouse are formal contemplations.