The art of twisting, coiling and bending wood

The other day, a few atypical wood carvings caught my eye, which immediately made me think of other materials, paper, textile, metal. The pieces were a mixture of spirals, curves, twists that you can hardly imagine in wood, but which are very specific to other materials. The sculptor who envisioned such a transformation of wood is Xavier Puente Vilardell, a Spanish-born artist currently living in Brussels.

Xavier was born in 1970 in Barcelona and graduated from the School of Architecture here in 1997. But his artistic inclinations were passed down in his family, his grandfather on his mother's side being a painter and a woodcarver. It was from him that Xavier learned the art of wood carving from a very early age, working, like his grandfather, in pine.

Despite these artistic beginnings, the inclination towards the technical side of art prevailed, and Xavier chose to study architecture, being very attracted by the study of construction and the proportion of volumes. Over time, however, this technical side of him slowly evolved towards a more artistic, freer mode of expression, and it was sculpture that allowed him to express himself in this way. He chose wood as an old acquaintance, but also because he felt that it was the material that would help him express himself.

In 2007 he had his first exhibition and was awarded the Viladecans prize for sculpture. Basically the way was paved, and from there, every year, Vilardell participated in numerous exhibitions in various cities around the world, winning countless awards.

A very present element in his sculptures, a traditional Mediterranean element, are the holes carved in the wood, which allow the limestone to penetrate and transform it into beams that caress the amazing shapes.

Another impressive thing about Vilardell's work is that most of it is made from a single piece of wood. The organic curves, which pass from one side of the wood to the other in seemingly impossible designs, entice you to follow them with your hand, to caress their swirls.

He works mainly in pine and sometimes with finely textured hardwoods. Working on a carving takes months because the penetration of the wood, this continuous back-and-forth of helical curves, roundness and twists, is laborious. At the end, the wood is very well sanded and then a fine coat of varnish is applied so that the texture is very visible.

Xavier Puente Vilardell is a tireless sculptor and his works are the result of pure, deep and sincere emotion. He says that this emotion makes him interact passionately with the wood, leading him to those incredible final forms.

(source: http://www.xavipuente.com/)