Dutch artist Ronald A. Westerhuis had a stable and successful career as an offshore gas worker. But then he decided to throw it all away to follow his passion and become a sculptor using his favorite material - stainless steel.

His latest exhibition RAWsome - The Retrospective at the River South Art Center beside Suzhou Creek displays some of his work from the last 12 years, with over 30 pieces made in both China and the Netherlands.

"My family was really worried about me when I first quit my job," Westerhuis told the Global Times. "I come from a business family and we never went to museums or galleries. I knew nothing about art." Westerhuis is based in Zwolle, the Netherlands, and Shanghai, where he has a studio in Songjiang district.

His early work is clearly inspired by his original career, with the forms of his first sculptures following those of the pipeline structures he would encounter in his work.

 

Westerhuis describes stainless steel as "a metal as cold, hard and indestructible as it is vulnerable and sensitive; a medium full of character, inviting to the touch. I am really fascinated by this material. Steel is everlasting."

One of his best-known works is RAWsome!, a ball four meters in diameter that was created in Shanghai for Museum De Fundatie in Zwolle. Every year, the sculpture is taken from the museum and put on display at the Lowlands festival, held in the nearby village of Biddinghuizen. "The main objective of showing RAWsome! at this music festival is to make a large audience experience public art," he said.

Westerhuis has been commissioned to create major land art projects in Norway and the Netherlands, as well as public steel sculpture projects such as Pride created for the Shell headquarters in Amsterdam.

His latest project is Global Peace Energy in Norway, which sees a 30-meter steel ball suspended between three steel pillars. The steel ball is hollow and will be used as a conference center.

Westerhuis said that he is inspired by everything that he sees and experiences around him. "In the workshop I don't make any drawings beforehand. I just make sure I have enough material and I start working," he said.

In 2009, Westerhuis launched RAWdesign, a new design line consisting of large stainless steel thrones, seats, lighting and stainless steel vases. Some of the products are for sale at the Shanghai exhibition.

"Working in China is so different from working in Europe. There is so much more respect for artists here," Westerhuis said. "Chinese are not afraid to ask questions. When I do a show in Europe, people look at my art and they either say it is nice or not. Here, Chinese ask all the questions. It's great. It makes me think about my own work. Every piece has a story behind it," he said.

Westerhuis' dream is to make sculptures as big as the Oriental Pearl Tower. "Chinese are not afraid to think big. For me, that's really interesting," he said.

Date: Until June 20, 10 am to 8 pm

Venue: River South Art Center

南岸艺术中心

Address: 1247 Nansuzhou Road

南苏州路1247号

Admission: Free

Call 6359-8989 for details