Sonja Ferlov Mancoba

Sonja Ferlov Mancoba (1911-84) hører til blandt de væsentligste danske billedhuggere i det 20. århundrede. Hun tog del i de surrealistiske og spontan-abstrakte strømninger omkring kunstnergrupperne linien og Cobra men udviklede sit helt eget, karakteristiske billedsprog, inspireret af bl.a. afrikansk og mexicansk maskekunst.

For Sonja Ferlov Mancoba var det ikke resultatet, men selve processen, der var interessant. Hun byggede skulpturerne op i ler og gips og havde den opfattelse, at hendes arbejde ophørte, når gipsen var færdig. Hun deltog aldrig i selve bronzestøbningen.

What really matters is not the sculptures, but the spirit of fellowship which one tries to express. I would say that the things themselves are only a means to an end. The value of the pieces lies in the moment when they have a direct bearing on life, when they help us to see more clearly, give us heart, help us to get to grips with life. But the pieces are not life. They are a reflection of life.

Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, 1970

A person is driven by an innate urge to express themself through the material. And gradually you enter into dialogue with what you are creating – a dialogue that in turn provides the impetus for new ideas. As long as the piece seems alive to me, talks to me, I can and must keep going… This can go on for years before I reach the point where I feel that from here on it can only go downhill, the point where it is impossible to pare away any more because all you do could now would be to add on again.

Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, 1973