The Broken Oak

Oak, the foundation for the sculpture “The Broken Oak” was one of many thousands of trees, brought down in the November storm of 2018, at the home of the Contemporary Mountain, Artesella.

In April 2019 the artist, Stuart Ian Frost created an artwork from this oak specifically for the town of Borgo Valsugana. Frost’s sculptures are often created from these kind of indigenous natural materials, which gives them an identity and belonging to the local environment. Despite this Frost’s sculpture’s always possess a form for estrangement; the characteristic structural carvings visible within his artworks contain a proximity, similarity and continuation as found within the evolvement of the natural world. This characteristic method for “deconstruction” contributes to the breakdown and ultimate alienation of the given oak. In this way, the artwork “The Broken Oak” can be seen to symbolize the effects of the catastrophe on the local environment since the oak derives from this local environment. The question of place, site and location that has always been a central issue for sculpture, but in this instance because the particular oak belongs to the place the artwork naturally enhances and changes the space it occupies.  According to W.J.T Mitchell: “Sculpture wants a place to be and to be a place.” In this way, The Broken Oak has obtained this ambition and has again found its place.

Location: Borgo Valsugana, Italy
Material: Oak