Lika Mutal

This in-depth exploration focuses on the imposing stone sculptures of the major contemporary artist Lika Mutal. Bringing to her sculpture the sensibilities of three cultures - the spirituality of the Peruvian Andes' Inca civilization, the rich artistic tradition of her native Holland and the dynamic vitality of New York City - Mutal articulates a distinctive vision that draws the viewer into her work.

Lika Mutal was born in Holland. Her early childhood in war-torn Europe during the nineteen forties played a distinctive role in forming her outlook on life. "Through the maze of fear, I found a world of beauty", remembers the artist. As a young adult she moved to Latin America, first Colombia and then Peru. It was in Peru that she found her calling as a sculptor. Living in Lima, she achieved a means of sculptural expression that was a distillation of her European heritage and the creative energy of Peru.

Her deep reverence for her material enabled her to develop a uniquely sensitive and skillful way of shaping the stone without invading its natural qualities. Mutal's evolution as an artist led her increasingly toward an interiorization and a focus on penetrating the stone. Many years later Mutal took up part-time residence in New York City, supplementing the rounded interior quality of her work with a more pointed and towering dynamism stimulated by the quick-paced city.

During her early years as a sculptor, Mutal met the master carver Don Juan, under whom she learned some vital keys to establishing a relationship with stone. It is this relationship that Mutal has sought to perfect over the decades, carefully hand picking every stone she carves.