Summer Chains

Summer Chains

The basis for the sculpture Summer Chains is the tread of a truck tire found on the edge of a highway. It is a circular piece of black rubber that looks very raw because it was torn from a worn-out tire. This rawness is the fundamental, highly intense energy with which the artist works. As a kind of healing counterpoint, he applies something unexpected to the tattered remnant of the tire – delicate gold chains.

Summer Chains 2000–2025, 100 x 100 x 45 cm, rubber, metal.

Usually, a driver puts heavy-duty steel chains on his car’s wheels and relies on their strength and durability to get him out of a tight spot. Here, this is not the case. The tire has seen better days; it is literally worn out and torn. The golden chains, therefore, seem to have a gentle magic – one that should not be underestimated. The coiled networks of chains connect our world to the invisible one through their metastases. The golden chains draw their power from the energy of the stars and the sun’s rays. By forming a circle around the tire – one that is literally embedded in the tread pattern – the chains create a protective shield for this piece of rubber.

Summer Chains 2000–2025, 100 x 100 x 45 cm, rubber, metal.

The idea for a tire with gold chains dates back to the 1990s. However, it was never realized because the artist had not yet found a tire section with such an ideally distorted shape.

This sculpture is dedicated to the memory of Wonder Woman, who uses the Lasso of Truth, whose power compels those within its reach to act honestly, sincerely, and truthfully.