Rik Phillips

When one thinks of metal, there’s a natural association with stability, longevity, and strength. It is a necessary element in humankind’s great achievements — from industry, mechanics, construction, and commerce. “When I design a sculpture, the components appear to be frozen in time, a suspended motion, a kinetic quality that defies the state in which it exists. I take this rigid material and create, bend, and weld it into organic geometric forms that represent a feeling of vulnerability and of movement.”

Such is the case with the sculpture of Rik Phillips. His three-dimensional, geometric shapes have been given form and arranged to his will- and because of it- seem to move, dance, swirl, and crawl, yet somehow simultaneously deconstruct, right before our eyes. But this time, it’s the artist who has defied expectation and the metal has agreed. And it celebrates. It is this “impossible movement” that Rik Phillips has devoted himself to.

As innovative and provocative as well-known sculptors Alexander Caulder and David Smith, 57-year-old American-born contemporary fine artist, Rik Phillips has had a 40-year-long career culminating with work as part of numerous public displays, such as the one at the Boston Children’s Museum, and private collections, including those of Barbra Streisand and Armand Hammer. His award-winning sculptures have been described by fellow artist, Brother Andy, as intellectually stimulating, rather than merely witty”. From high-heeled women’s shoes with training wheels made entirely of wood to large-scale, brightly colored metal public works one can walk through to strange “retro-futuristic” organic creatures of chrome, Phillips shows an unparalleled range in subject matter and use of materials in his work. He is a modern-day, cutting-edge Renaissance Man.