CORY FUHR - statement
'Mechanical Odyssey' 2007 - Cory Fuhr Cory Fuhr's 'Mechanical Odyssey' began in 1996 as his work steadily moved away from the functional to the expressive and narrative. Cory Fuhr lives rural Vernon in the North Okanagan where his studio is a large barn that is able to house such large-scale steel pieces. Currently, Fuhr's work is exhibited in galleries across North America and has been featured in a number of art publications. Fuhr is a sculptor who specializes in monumental metal works, often depicting the human form. He has numerous public sculptures to his credit which can be seen while walking through airports, convention centers, shopping malls, office buildings as well as museums. For his recent exhibition at Sopa, Cory Fuhr shares his own universe of transformation and mutation using an assortment of steel tools and gears, finely detailed in each human assemblage. He creates a network of narratives in which individuals are discovered, through light and touch, revealing vulnerability in contrast to their powerful presence. "Anthropomorphic transformations have fascinated and inspired my work throughout my life. The conflict of engineered and untouched landscapes challenges humanity to reconcile our organic forms with the monstrous artifice of our creations. Through my work, I explore the possibility of acceptance, of reconciliation."
In 2003, Fuhr was commissioned to create the piece “Couldn’t Sleep” that was presented to Jack Rabinovitch to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Giller Prize for Canadian Literature. The life-size 300-pound steel sculpture of a male author working at a vintage typewriter, typifies the dynamism of the artist's work. Cory Fuhr's construction fuses a post-modern sensibility with classical form and expression, juxtaposing the anachronistic typewriter with a futuristic medium and composition.
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Canadian artist Cory Fuhr’s steel sculptures have been gaining momentum since his gallery debut in 2001, making their way into collections throughout North America. From intimate representations of musical instruments to life size human forms, his work shows both depth and strength.