Italian artist Peter Demetz brings wood to life with his amazing hand-carved figures. It’s like a gift for breathing life into wood, a material that belongs to nature. His wooden sculptures of people, which vary in size from about 20 inches to nearly 50 inches tall, feature men, women, and children are flawlessly life-like.
The sculptures reflect Demetz’s attention to details. His precise and perfect mastery of human anatomy makes his sculptures look like paintings or sketches, and his wonderful compositions and sense of perspective make this illusion look like reality. He’s able to shape tiny folds in clothing, reproduce loose strands of hair, and make human anatomy so well that you’d think these figures really exist.
The sculptures consist grain of the wood and its warm colors, which give them a tactile appearance that would be difficult to fake with paint. Demetz’s sculptures also have a concept of loneliness. The figures’ backs are often turned away from us as they stare at the ground. It’s like they’re either ignoring us or having feelings of loss, longing or a fleeting period in time.
Born in Bolzano, Italy in 1969, Peter Demetz went to art school in Ortisei in 1983. While he’s still giving lectures and seminars on wood sculpture as well as courses on working with wood and clay, drawing, design and anatomy in different platforms, he continues to create his art made out of wood. Demetz has received many awards including; 1st prize at the art prize “Premio Arciere” of Sant’ Antioco in Sardegna (Italy) for the work: “L’analfabeta”, 45 x 37 cm, 1st prize at the international artprize “XXXVII Premio Sulmona “, in Sulmona (AQ), for the work: “Remember”, 60 x 49 cm, 1st prize “Premio Pio Alferano” at the art prize “Murat è vivo” in Castellabate (SA), for the work: “nelle strade di Pizzo”, 85 x 100 cm.
Some of his selected exhibitions include;
2014 _Knokke (B), Piretti art gallery, “Hyper Realities. _New York, Scope Art Show 2014 with the gallery WHITE ROOM LIQUID ART SYSTEM. _Bologna, Artefiera with the gallery ARTFORUM Contemporary. _Catania, MacS (Museo Arte Contemporanea Sicilia), group exhibition “Ad Imaginem Suam” by Alberto Agazzani.
2013 _Miami, Art Miami Context, Gallery WHITE ROOM ART SYSTEMS. _Istanbul, CI Contemporary Istanbul with the galleries ARTFORUM and White Room Art System. _Verona, Art Verona, Gallery ARTFORUM from Bologna.
2012 _ Miami, Art Miami Context and Scope Miami with the gallery WHITE ROOM ART SYSTEM. _Den Haag (NL), EPO Building, “different similarities – somiglianze differenti”, collective exhibition by Egon Dejori. _Bologna, gallery ARTFORUM, “Peter Demetz – Reflections”, presented by the curator Beatrice Buscaroli. _ORF 2 (local austrian TV), “The artist Peter Demetz”, TV news “Südtirol Heute”.
2011 _Rome: Palazzo Valentini, Sala Egon von Fürstenberg, solo exhibition, invitation by Presidente Nicola Zingaretti. _Trento, Palazzo Trentini, 54th Biennale of Venezia, Italian Pavillon – Regione Trentino-Alto Adige, curated by Vittorio Sgarbi.
2008 _ Roma: Il Mitreo-Arte Contemporanea, “Segni di Confine”, curated by Maurizio Vanni _ Sant’Agostino(FE): Oratorio, “nebenräume-gli spazi dell’io”, personal exhibition _ Cento di Ferrara: Castello della Rocca,“nebenräume-gli spazi dell’io”, personal exhibition (catalogue) _Merseburg: 3th artfair _ Milano: Palazzo della Permanente, exhibition of the art competition finalists “Premio Arte 2008”
2007 _ Lichtenstein/SA(D): Daetz-Centrum, „bodily – erotic impressions“ _ Milano: Spazio Lattuada, italian art biennale, curated by Raffaele De Salvatore _ Wangen im Allgäu (D): Kunstmeile Wangen 01 _ Bolzano: Galleria Civica, „Stanze“, curated by Barbara Bottacin and Ciro Saetti.
2006 _ Firenze: Palagio di Parte Guelfa, “the artist, the Maestro and Margherita, curated by Maurizio Vanni (catalogue) _ Ortisei: UNIKA 2006, collective exhibition _ Padova: Arte Padova, UNIKA _ Lecce: Metropolitan Art Gallery: “Maestri Scultori Italiani”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_k4EcLHNMc&feature=youtu.be