by Amanda Levy
11/01/2019
Ian Fichman, 40, is a Miami native and metal sculptor. He is currently working out of the Bakehouse Art Complex in Wynwood.
“I lived in California for 8 years that changed my outlook on reality immensely. Working through San Diego State University's extended studies program, I was able to get in good with the TA, he let me become a tech at the metal sculpture lab there, basically giving me a key to the facility, so I started sculpting out of there. But it wasn’t the best situation, so I [started] looking for my own place to work at and wasn’t finding much in San Diego, and then my mom found the Bakehouse. So I applied and now it’s been going on 7 years at the Bakehouse Art Complex.”
Although shy to admit it, it was through this program that Fichman was able become classically trained, allowing him to explore different media as an artist. Outside of metalwork, Fichman takes pleasure in working with graphic art, photography, and ceramics.
“Wheel throwing, if you’ve never tried it, is incredibly relaxing. You have to center the thing on the wheel, and that makes you centered. There’s just something about it, it’s very zen, I really enjoy it.”
In terms of work-space, Fichman has found a home in the Bakehouse Art Complex, feeling accepted in what one might call a community of oddballs.
“It used to be a bakery in the 1930s/40s, and then in the 80s it was converted into what it is now. It’s a very odd thing, and because I’m odd and my sculptures are odd and I make them out of an odd place.”
His choice of metal as a medium stems from a profound appreciation for craftsmanship, and in doing so Fichman has found fulfillment in creating art that is built to last.
“It’s physical, and tough. I’m drawn to the strength of it. I kind of follow the metal, if that makes sense. The metal will only do so much, and you can do a lot with it, but you have to meet it halfway.”
“There’s an overlying concept to each piece, but it’s really not that complicated. It’s really about the craft of it all, that’s really where it’s at.”
It is rare to see an artist like Fichman, whose dedication can be seen through the very art he creates. With his keen attention to detail, and experimental methods, Fichman’s sculptures each live a life of their own.
“It’s pretty close to permanent. As long as the planet doesn’t explode, these things will definitely outlive me; they’re not going anywhere. I’m willing and happy to put in 100 more hours into a piece knowing that it is so permanent. I honestly have a lot of respect for painters, because they put in so much time, and it’s so immaculate, but so delicate.”
When observing his work, it is clear that as an artist Fichman defines craftsmanship as strongly rooted in the use of our hands. Fichman uses the hands of his sculptures as a way of communicating a deeper meaning, while conveying an empathic quality one rarely sees in such robotic figures.
“They’re built piece by piece like a LEGO set. That’s really helped me hone the style and figure out things like the hands, and how the hips work, and the shoulders too. But the hands are a good example of the craftsmanship, because if you see my early work the hands are just a mitten, but as I evolved I wanted them to really emote with the hands and not the face, because there is no face. They’re not about an individual, and if I gave them a face then that would make them a character, and they’re not a character, they’re a representation of my experiences. They’re almost like an autobiography, in a sense, but they’re about everybody; they’re about the entire human experience.”
“They’re more like a presence than a person, and they don't have any life until I give them hands. Without the hands there’s hardly anything.”
“These pieces [have moved] into animals too. The argument is that animals are basically people, and they’re also going through their own experience, and although it’s limited, it’s just as valid.”
Fichamn’s appreciation for life and sentience serves as a stark contrast to the harshly aesthetic appearance of his sculptures. One can argue that this conceptual combination is reminiscent of the many dichotomies found in nature itself; beauty and brutality, majesty and terror, instinct and insight. All of which can be found in both the natural world and the work of Ian Fichman.
