The most striking aspect of Verginer’s work is his meticulous attention to detail. Every wrinkle, crease and facial expression in his sculptures is carved with meticulous precision, creating a sense of hyper-realism that blends succinctly with surrealism through image and color.However, his work is distinguished not only by its high technical skill, but also by the importance of the topics the author touches on about humanity’s relation to the environment.
Once, as a child, while walking with my dad, we met someone painting a landscape and I asked my dad “what that man was doing?”. He answered that he was an artist. I said that I wanted to become an artist as well, but my dad told me that it would not be a job. However, it became my job.
I use models for any work. Most of them are art students because there is an art school in the town where I live. The art students have a relation with sculpture, and it is interesting for them to see how a sculpture is made. At the beginning of the rough work (chainsaw), I work with photos, and as the work progresses, I need the models so that I can better work out the details.
It depends on its size, and not every sculpture takes the same amount of time. For a life-size sculpture, it takes about 6 weeks.
The beginning is very instinctive. The sketch is something I always do. Then, in sculpture, you have to be rational and deliberate.
I believe that color is the most important aspect of my work. (In art school, I studied painting, not sculpting.) Color overwhelms the figures. It does not underline the narration, but rather the narration is evolved, questioned, and changed. Tension, conflict, as well as unity and harmony, arise between color and form.
I grew up in an area where wood carving is deeply rooted in tradition. In the 17th century, there were already several baroque sculptors working with wood in my area. By the 18th century, Val Gardena was a major center of wood carving. Most of the wood carving is still concentrated in the religious field. I acquired the same technique; however, I decided to take a different route.
“Anyone who imagines that all fruits ripen at the same time as the strawberries knows nothing about grapes” – Paracelsus.
From April 20 to May 26, in Tel Aviv, there will be my solo exhibition at the Zemack Gallery called “Anthropocene”.
