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STATEMENT
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A sculpture should draw in the viewer. The viewer should participate in each of my works, whether it is by seeing, touching, caring or contributing his or her feelings. The important thing is to become involved. In “Meng Po Le,” the viewer is asked to directly participate in the experience by filling in the empty space with his/her own shattered dream.
I often use materials that are being thrown away, e.g., steel plugs, I-bar segments and other steel remnants discarded by fabricators, broken glass, steel fragments in the metal shop discard bin, bleached coral rock and industrial screening scraps to transform these materials into a meaningful work of art. This is a great way to recycle and help to preserve our fragile environment. To make something beautiful or thought provoking out of someone else’s unwanted trash is a great feeling.
I often develop new techniques to obtain the desired visual and textural results I want. When I wanted to create the look and feel of the reef base for corals, I initially created the general shape in steel. Then I use a cutting torch as a paint brush to melt and manipulate the form to create this unique texture and the feeling of the cooled volcanic eruption. Bronze brazing normally used for welding is used to give the sculpture color.
Some sculpture series are intended to be seen under various illuminations, since the whole image changes from day to night. That concept is incorporated in the Coral Kelp and Pinnacle series. I turn off the main lights and then put on jazz or classical music and look at the shadows of the sculpture on the ceiling.
My most recent works involve the creation of unique glass forms showing movement. First, I construct a steel mold to use as a guide. Then our team gathers the molten glass, utilizing varying patterns and colors of frits. Our team next drags and shapes the molten glass over the steel mold to obtain the desired shape and movement.
I have studios in Brooklyn and Beijing. This offers me the opportunity to participate in and take advantage of two remarkable cultures. It also enables me to do certain projects. In creating my new glass series, the basic steel forms for dragging and shaping the molten glass are designed and fabricated in Brooklyn. The glass sculpture is formed at a glass foundry in Boshan, China. The formed sculpture is then finished at my Beijing studio.
China is a fabulous place to do creative work. I was invited to Beijing in 2003 as a sculptor in residence by the Pickled Arts Institute. The access to materials, technical facilities and skilled labor was and is amazing. When I was not able to get the facilities and people to execute a new idea for a series of glass sculptures in the United States, a Chinese friend introduced me to a facility 500 miles from Beijing that was willing to try in 2008. We have now worked and learned together for the last two years and are still refining this process. It has been a terrific experience for everyone involved.
When I am at my studio in the 318 Art Village in Beijing, it is always open to visitors. All you need to do is email or call me at my Beijing number, 136-9317-3637, to make arrangements.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Moon River Museum
Salon Show
New York BJ Installation
"Derivative Works of 100 Artists," 798 Art District, Beijing, China, October 2009
Charles Hecht's Glass Installation "3 Crocodile Fish" as part of a three person group show May 1 - May 15, 2009 at Broadway Gallery 473 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, New York.
Charles Hecht's Sculptures, May 2009.
Charles Hecht's Glass Installation, September 26th - November 30th 2008. the Sunshine International Contemporary Art Museum, known in China as the Sheng Sheng, China
Charles Hecht's Sculptures, July 2008. TWO LINES GALLERY, BEIJING, CHINA
May – June, 2007 - U-P ARTS SPACE, group exhibition, Beijing, China
May, 2007 - Group exhibition at Southampton Elks Lodge Fairgrounds, LI, NY
December 5 - 30, 2006 – "Creatures From The Deep", Solo exhibition at Broadway Gallery, 473 Broadway, NYC.
September 15 - 30, 2006 – Solo exhibition at Broadway Gallery, 473 Broadway, NYC.
August 2006 - Kelp Coral Series, Beijing Gallery, China.
May 14 to June 6, 2006 - "Sculptures", Netherlands
Must Be
Contemporary Art Center, Beijing, China
September 2005 - "Organically Speaking", curated
by Charles Hecht, Broadway Gallery, NYC
March 2005 - "Sculptures" by Charles Hecht, Broadway Gallery,
NYC
February 2005 - "AMERICAN & CHINESE Flag Sculptures". Pickled
Arts Center, Beijing, China
2004 - "AMERICA" Charles Hecht 2004-2005, Color Elefante
Gallery, Valencia, Spain
2004 - "AMERICA" Charles Hecht 2004-2005, Berliner KunstProjekt,
Berlin, Germany
www.berlinkunstprojekt.com
2003 - "SEASONAL LITTER", BROADWAY GALLERY ANNEX, NYC
www.broadwaygallerynyc.com
2003 - Fine Arts Gallery of Bronxville
www.biddingtons.com
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