1/28/2022
Discovering The Smith Center
Smith Center visitors can now find inspiration even beyond the center’s performances.
They can also find themselves transformed by the newest art installation in the center’s Symphony Park, the 8-foot Prismatic Oracle sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Hans Van de Bovenkamp.
Crafted with bronze in the form of a gateway — a common theme in the Holland native’s works — the sculpture represents a portal leading to peace and serenity.
“Oracle is one of my favorite signature sculptures,” says Van de Bovenkamp, who lives in both Las Vegas and New York City. “It relates to the human mind, body and spirit.”
Known for his signature portal art pieces worldwide, he says they represent doorways of transformation.
“With my sculptures, I create interior and exterior elements that will function as a landmark, a visual portal to proceed in or out of a building, integrating with the architecture and providing a sense of unique, well-ordered and welcoming space,” he says.
Prismatic Oracle achieves just that, with The Smith Center’s entrance visible through the sculpture’s opening to help visitors get oriented.
“I hope Prismatic Oracle will help create an awareness for people to see the importance of art and architecture,” Van de Bovenkamp says.
Goliath Works Worldwide
Van de Bovenkamp has a long history of drawing interest with his work.
After 65 years of sculpting, his pieces can be found in prominent sites worldwide, including the estates of Nelson Rockefeller, The Tisch Family and Mohammed Ali, as well as the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio, the Jing’an Sculpture Park in Shanghai and many more.
While he also has a long history of painting and drawing, Van de Bovenkamp remains best known for monumental sculptures in public spaces, some as tall as 40 feet.
“We are honored to have his work represented among the other pieces collected here at The Smith Center,” says Candy Schneider, Smith Center vice president of Education and Outreach. “It’s wonderful to have artwork by another internationally recognized artist to inspire our visitors.”
Inspiration in Mythology
Van de Bovenkamp found two sources of inspiration for the Prismatic Oracle sculpture, created in 2014.
In part, the piece relates to oracles from Greek myth who gave divine counsel. But it also references the alternative definition of an oracle as a portal, which gives the sculpture an underlying meaning.
“I try to create a spiritual consciousness with my work,” he says. “As a sculptor, I am driven to tap into new ways of being creative and what it means to be human in the pursuit of peace and happiness. I hope people will receive the same enlightenment when they are in the presence of my work.”
No Simple Creation
With a degree in architecture from the University of Michigan, Van de Bovenkamp directly applies his past architectural training in cobbling his mammoth structures.
“The material is very heavy bronze and 316L marine-grade stainless steel,” he says. “My work often poses challenges, at times even required a helicopter for installation.”
At roughly 8 feet high and 2,000 pounds, Prismatic Oracle also proved no simple feat to create.
Van de Bovenkamp approached it by emulating prehistoric menhirs like Stonehenge, with stacked columns. But instead of stacking stones, he created hollow, metal shapes of his own design.
“It’s a very laborious activity,” he admits, estimating the sculpture took half a year to create.
After studying his sketches and cardboard models, Van de Bovenkamp’s team of assistants — sometimes he works with as many as 25 — used a plasma cutter to prepare metal sheets they welded into polygonal shapes.
“Each shape has six sides, and each side has four corners,” he describes. “To make one shape can take two to three days.”
Stacking them also posed difficulty, he adds.
“The challenge is to get it balanced,” he says. “They’re all different shapes, so you’re constantly putting a shape in and saying ‘no,’ then trying another shape.”
After welding the stacks into a single structure, his team grinded it to a flawless polish.
The sculpture will stand hardy against pollution and weather, he assures, as he painted on a special mixture to provide both an eye-catching color and a protective coating.
“Sculptures like these, they will outlast us,” Van de Bovenkamp says.
Right at Home at The Smith Center
Van de Bovenkamp considers The Smith Center a fitting home for Prismatic Oracle.
“I love that the sculpture will be seen by audiences going to cultural events,” he says. “The Smith Center is known to be the crown jewel of culture in Las Vegas.”
He lives in Las Vegas because Southern Nevada’s natural beauty at the center of state and national parks nourishes his creativity, he adds, giving him ideas for concepts he inserts into pieces just like Prismatic Oracle.
“I take these shapes and concepts from nature, and I bring them into where people live,” he says. “When you see my art, you see my heart.”