HISTORY & BACKGROUND
Daisy Boman grew up in the Flemish part of Belgium, near Antwerp. Even as a child drawing was her favourite pastime and this eventually led her to enter the Academy of Fine Art, where she studied interior design and photography. She then proceeded to experiment with ceramics, and the new possibilities that this medium offers inspired her to go still further. In 1981 her husband was offered an exciting opportunity as an architect in South Africa and the couple moved to Johannesburg.
There, Daisy was selected for the National Ceramic Exhibition several times, and her work and the idea behind it matured, strongly influenced by social aspects and characteristics of South African society during Apartheid. After five years, Daisy returned to Belgium in 1986 and her first exhibition in Antwerp, a year later, "still had an African influence".
Daisy has had many exhibitions in South Africa, Belgium and France.
IDEAS & INSPIRATIONS
"Sometimes it is difficult to put ...
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things into words, my works says a good deal more".
Alone, but mostly in numbers, Boman's figures climb, interact with each other, fall, crawl, run-telling us stories about life, human destiny and universal feelings. The ‘Bo-men' are there to remind us how much struggle defines our lives in the world. But are we all that different in our struggling? Daisy Boman suggests not, offering us a unique look at ourselves.
Their language is unique. Faceless, they ask us to look at them for what they are, not for what they look like. Their movements, situations and attitudes speak for themselves. Boman's sculptures experience life, with a playful and challenging attitude but also in even more dramatic fashion. They race, try hard for something better, make choices, and carry the burden of life.
Their uniforms are white because colours and races should not matter, their heads are square: we are all "from the same mould", conditioned by the society we live in.
They can make you smile, but look closer and you will quickly discover how serious they are.
Who wouldn't identify with Bo-men?
FROM PALETTE TO PICTURE
It all starts by a sketch or a drawing, but the final piece is most often quite far from its original idea. Daisy shapes her diminutive people by hand, and then allowing the clay to dry in open air; in due time they will be fired in an oven at high temperatures. When they are ready they are selectively mounted on the board, where they suddenly take on a life of their own.
Daisy will choose their fate; they will be placed alone, in the chaos of a whole group, running on the front line, getting stuck behind, reaching the top. Daisy says she listens to her little Bo-men, who show her where to go!
