Upcoming Silicon Valley Sculpture Fair to feature wood sculpture, Princess, by Foon Sham
The Ho family, Stephen Ho and Juliet Sham, sister of noted international artist Foon Sham, has donated his new signature wood sculpture Princess to Menlo College in Atherton in advance of the Silicon Valley Sculpture Fair (SVS2020) September 25–27. Standing at a height of 10 feet, Princess (pictured right) can call Menlo College home after SVS2020.
Sham’s decades-long career has spanned the globe and reflects a journey still unfolding. Wood has always been the primary medium in his sculpture and installations. He has sawed, cut, carved, laminated, stacked, and assembled a multiplicity of soft and hardwood into organic and geometric forms from small to massive pieces. His art echoes his personal feeling to nature, disaster, and the environment.
“In general, I love to stack and build with wooden blocks to create visually interesting forms that are meaningful to me,” Sham states. “I have been interested in the vessel forms for a while because they provide both exterior and interior spaces to explore.
“Most of my large-scale forms are built with thousands of wooden blocks in different sizes. In some, you can enter the interior space, look up to the sky, smell the wood, and experience the change of temperature. In this piece, the interior is not large enough to enter. The title Princess refers to the elegant and curvilinear profile of a female body. It provides different all-around views.”
“Even before the first Silicon Valley Sculpture Fair opens, a sculpture has been dedicated to Menlo College,” said Katharina Powers, Menlo Park Public Art (MPPA) CEO. “An iconic, monumental piece has been placed; value has been created. One of the MPPA’s missions has been fulfilled. This is an incredible success and impactful for every student walking by the sculpture. They can look up and admire the wooden-woven structure.”
The Silicon Valley Sculpture (SVS) Fair is the primary fundraiser for Menlo Park Public Art, a nonprofit organization with the goal of defining Silicon Valley through public art.
In addition to large-scale fine art sculptures with a narrative exhibited in a natural environment, the event will include performance art that draws attention to pressing issues facing the Silicon Valley community, such as privacy, equality, displacement.
The theme is “Past, Present, Progressive.” An art walk will guide visitors through sculptures that represent all three ideas. A complete schedule of events is available online.
There will be two entrances into the Menlo College campus. At each location, only 25 guests at a time will be allowed to enter. Masks are required, temperatures will be checked, and social distancing must be observed.
Please reserve a date and time for your visit at info@artventuresgallery.com.
