David for Lviv

Daily we hear about the war in Ukraine, daily we discuss the aspects of support and sympathy. As a person and an artist, I am obliged to take action. I travelled to Lviv in March for a sculpture sale and experienced the situation first-hand. At the same time, I had the idea of working there, of creating something as an artist where history is happening, of being a small part of it.

My contribution is to create art to defy the war. Culture creates identity, strength and confidence in times of crisis. Culture is what separates us from the mere survival instinct of the animal. Art is my weapon, it should help to preserve dignity and hope. That's what I can, must, do as an artist.

On to Lviv, the car full of tools and equipment, not without my rocking chair. So, together with my friend and assistant Klaus, I cross the border into Ukraine on 8 September.

There was some preparatory work to be done. My collector and friend, who runs a cultural centre in Lviv, organises customs formalities and material procurement, and he puts me in touch with galleries, the city administration, the cultural office, etc. The city of Lviv gave me a warm welcome, provided a great location, a crane truck, film and press, etc.

But what will I create? Which sculpture should it be?

I will create a "David for Lviv" . David defeats Goliath, a fitting, powerful metaphor for my wishes for the maltreated country.

At the moment, David is the smaller one in the unequal battle, but my David should stand imposing and present, not too small, according to my numerous Lviv supporters.

Now the work can begin. A heavy base plate, well adjusted and anchored,

I set up the first support. I add a piece of railway track, solid

square, strong reinforcing iron and plenty of 20 mm plate. I have a sketched concept, a few reference points for lengths and proportions, it should be slim and tall, figurative yes, but abstractly figurative. Rising lines, tapering towards the bottom, slightly diverging in height, plus elements made of solid board to suggest body parts. The only round element abstracts the stone that David will hurl. I stylise his determination, his fierce gaze, with arrow-like, splayed lines made of monolithic iron. The entire body tension stands for an attack on the vile aggressor that has to be overcome. Every part has to be well thought out, precisely placed, solidly welded and secure for years to come. I can assemble some parts into groups on the ground before the crane operator lifts them up and swivels them in precisely. I can only position a lot of things correctly at height, assess angles and lengths and keep an eye on the entire work. Then I weld on the ladder, high up, drop welds, stay welds, overhead, not easy. The sparks fall into my sleeve, just don't let go now. The thing mustn't fall, and neither must I.

Then there's the weather, the rain in Lviv, but the sun comes out almost every afternoon. With so much action and adrenaline, I hardly notice that the air alarm robbed me of sleep last night.

I can only maintain this intensity of creation and work at the highest level for so long. More than 10-11 hours a day and never take a break, otherwise the exhaustion will drag you down. So keep going, don't let up, ladder up, ladder down, preferably quickly and always with an eye on the next move.

The interest of passers-by is great. I explain my work and we discuss it with hands and feet. People thank me, which is very touching. I am very impressed by the people of Lviv and I like them. They defy adversity by going about their lives with strength and confidence.

It was a good idea to come here.

After five days, the completed "David for Lviv" stands before me.