Gabriel Lester, 'Bambaataa', 2018

Location: Grote Marktstraat
Unveiling: Friday, June 29, 2018, 6:00 PM

On Friday, June 29, 2018, the new sculpture Bambaataa by Gabriel Lester was added to De Beeldengalerij in the center of The Hague.

Gabriel Lester's Bambaataa is a large black metal sculpture with a triangular form, featuring three cube-shaped elements made of light gray mesh. On one side, it displays a mask-like face, with the eyes and mouth allowing sunlight to pass through. This creates holographic projections of geometric shapes on the opposite side. Although it is a sculpture, it retains a photographic and cinematic quality in line with Lester's body of work: its appearance changes depending on the lighting and the viewer's perspective. The sculpture is placed on Grote Marktstraat, precisely in the southeast—when the sun sets, it shines directly on the sculpture like a spotlight.

Originally conceived as an abstract composition, the sculpture evolved during its creation process into a form that suggests a face. It reminded the artist of the mysterious ancient figures of Easter Island and African masks.

The title Bambaataa is derived from Afrika Bambaataa (NY, 1957), a pioneer in electronic music and hip-hop admired by Lester (Lester himself produced rap music in the 1980s and started the groups Definitely Def and Utile Connection. In the 1990s, he performed freestyle spoken word with jazz and hip-hop musicians). The title also rhythmically alludes to the three shapes in the face: bam-baa-taa.

More about Gabriel Lester
Gabriel Lester (1972, lives and works in Amsterdam) creates architectural installations, performances, and video and film works that focus on time, space, and memory. After studying at academies in Breda, Brussels, and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, he pursued further education in Stockholm, New York, Rio, and Tokyo. His work has been shown at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, De Appel Art Centre in Amsterdam, Bonner Kunstverein, and the Minsheng Museum in Shanghai. In recent years, Lester has also participated in the Venice, Moscow, Sydney, Istanbul, Marrakech, and Sharjah Biennales (VER) and Documenta (13).

PERS
Jegens & Tevens, June 29, 2018
MetropolisM.com, June 29, 2018