By Kevin Robb
Location: Front of Sykes College of Business
Representing the Positive Human Characteristic:
POISE
A lyrical sculpture that defies gravity, Kevin Robb’s Poise represents the poise, elegance and grace of a dancer being held aloft by their partner. Created from tubular pieces of bronze that have been bent into graceful, curving shapes, Poise represents an abstracted version of the human form. Here, the presence of two dancers exemplifies the concept of poise. It is required of each of them: one to provide stability and the other to literally defy gravity as they are lifted toward the sky.
Representing the characteristic of poise in the McNichols Sculpture Trail, this work reminds us of just what a powerful concept poise really is. With it, great things can be achieved and even gravity is no longer an obstacle.
In Poise, Robb has created a remarkably lifelike sculpture from only abstract shapes. He has essentially pared down the appearance of the human body into its basic building blocks. The gentle, s-shaped curve displayed in each of the bronze elements essentially imitates the natural appearance of the human body. In fact, this shape has been exploited by artists dating back to ancient Greece, when the body first started to appear more lifelike in a relaxed, “contrapposto” style.
An important influence in Robb’s work is Japanese calligraphy, which he encountered in Japan in the 1980s. Robb was impressed with the grace and structure of calligraphy, which strives for harmony and balance rather than simply conveying information.
(b. 1954)
Kevin Robb
Kevin Robb is a Colorado-based sculptor who works in stainless steel, aluminum and bronze. In 2004, Robb suffered a stroke that severely limited his vocabulary and left him with the use of only one arm. In the past five to 10 years, however, Robb has created some of his largest, most complex works to date. In Spring 2018, two of his sculptures were installed at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Also that year, a major installation called Kite Festival went up in Denver. This monumentally scaled work was created by welding individual pieces of high-impact aluminum to create the appearance of abstracted kites flying in the air. The circumference spanned 136 feet.
Robb studied sculpture and graphic design at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. Now based in suburban Denver, he continues to create work for an international collector base that spans the globe.
