Aquarium (2011)
SCULPTURE
A bird in epoxy fills the space from floor to ceiling. The seclusion of the surroundings and the blue-green coloring evoke the image of an aquarium, which is also the title of the work. The suggestion of weightlessness, which Peter Rogiers plays with in many of his works, is once again central here. When a bird flies up, it seems as if he escapes the law of gravity. He is carried by his wings because the air pressure difference between their top and bottom makes the upward force greater than the force of gravity. This apparent weightlessness bears resemblance to the state that can be experienced underwater, when the volume of a body, and thus the buoyant force it experiences, is exactly balanced by its full weight. The weightlessness and freedom associated with the bird contrasts sharply with the oppressive environment in which it finds itself here.