Xavier Veilhan’s Varberg Giants

Towards the end of last year, the French artist, Xavier Veilhan, unveiled two enormous sculptures. Finding their resting place in Stockholm, Veilhan worked with his longtime collaborator, Alexis Bertrand to install these two monumental pieces in parks in Varberg, a southwest suburb of the Swedish capital.

Called “Varberg Jattar,” the site-specific public artworks were the winning proposal of the Varberg Art Competition which was organized by Stockholm Konst and the Stockholm city executive office in 2018.

Made from prefabricated, self-standing blue concrete blocks, the project gave the Veinhan the opportunity to present what he believes is the fundamental difference between making public art and the more personal art which is present in private collections, museums, and galleries. For Veinhan, pubic installation allows for a change to the environment it occupies, however it has certain restrictions.

The artist says (courtesy of an interview with Eric David for Yatzer), “In so-called art spaces you can develop things that are more experimental while in public spaces you have to go straight to the point and make something immediately understandable.”

The project, which is the city’s largest work of art and biggest artistic investment ever, took two years to complete. True to Veinhan’s philosophy, the giants were designed to be functional. These two are meant to be working parts of their surroundings; meaning that the sculptures can be used as a table, meeting place, climbing wall, or bench.

The larger of the two giants, Pelousens Jatte, is a concrete body that measures 19 meters (length), nine meters (width), and five meters (height). The bearded face appears as though he might be the park’s permanent resident. The smaller of the two giants, Strakparkens Jatte sits 100 meters away. The female busts presents herself seemingly resting her arms on the ground… perhaps sitting at a table. She is assembled by five prefabricated self-standing concrete bocks verses her male counterpart who was constructed of many more than five blocks. In addition, a concrete ring surrounds her which points to the idea of movement… perhaps an open-air arena?

Veinhan is not new to multi-faceted outdoor installations that question the idea of perception, in addition to the physical and temporary relationships that are created because of the exhibition’s format. The artist’s work can be found in many of the world’s most important collections, both private and public.

In 2013, Veinhan constructed a bust of Corbusier for Miami’s Design District. The artist sculpted Le Corbusier at work, holding a pen. He said (courtesy of Miami Design District), “Drawing serves as the link between [painting and architecture], which is why he is represented here in the process of drawing, as he can be seen in one famous photograph.” The 10-foot sculpture is made from polyurethane resin, stainless steel, fiberglass, and polyester resin. His eyes point downwards, perhaps focusing on the task at hand; nevertheless, he is still part of the larger world: a social environment filled with retail and dining establishments.