There is no mistaking the joy that radiates from Austrian-born abstract sculptor Caroline Ramersdorfer when she discusses her work, her life, and the world at large. Her marble sculptures are at once ethereal and solid, delicate and bold, and the “nothingness” of each piece—the sense of void or space between its various marble and structural steel components—is every bit as vital to her vision as the marble itself.
Before settling in Wells, NY, with her husband, sculptor John Van Alstine, the world-renowned Ramersdorfer lived in Austria, France, Italy, and Japan, and crisscrossed the globe regularly for sculptural commissions. International opportunities continue to beckon today, but the sculptor is always happiest in her homebased studio on the couple’s idyllic nine-acre Adirondack-Sacandaga River Sculpture Park.
Ramersdorfer doesn’t let the massive size and weight of a stone intimidate her. Watching the petite sculptor lean across a great slab of marble, digging in with her diamond blades and grinders, dust flying, machines squealing, one can’t help but admire the sheer physicality of her art.
“I consider all these machines to be my helpers,” she says, “helping me shape my idea and helping me to transform the marble from within by bringing out the stone’s inner crystalline structure. Gradually, as I explore its depths, an amazing translucence and glittering inner light emerges. Every piece of marble is different. Each individual piece has been developed in a different way over millions of years. I try almost in an analytical way to find strength in my material,” she adds. “It’s a feeling I get when I directly touch a piece of marble or cut into it. The marble itself gives me the strength to work with it.”
Philosophy and the complexities of the human spirit and human interactions play a vital part in Ramersdorfer’s art. Although people of different cultural backgrounds may initially appear to think and act differently, she insists the “crossover points,” or commonalities between differing cultures, far surpass the differences. As Ramersdorfer works to peel back successive layers of marble and expose the beauty within, she simultaneously seeks to peel back layers within people and expose their interconnectedness. Ultimately, her pieces seem to come alive as hundreds of filigreed, striated cuts catch the light and pull the viewer inward.
“I want my work to be inclusive and interactive. As I work on a piece, I try to be inside and outside of it at the same time. A sculpture is never complete until I feel that someone viewing it will feel that they, too, are an important part of the piece.” Ramersdorfer encourages people to study her work from multiple directions. Viewed from different angles and distances at different times of day, a sculpture’s light, shadows, and energy will shift, taking the viewer inside, outside, and through a piece—just as the sculptor intended.
Growing up in Feldkirch, a medieval 11th century town in Austria, Ramersdorfer was fascinated and inspired by her architect father’s ability to draw concepts on paper and bring them to life in the real world. After studying philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris, art history, museum science and Renaissance fresco restoration in Florence, and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy, Ramersdorfer earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1988. Today, her commissioned, permanent installations are found in Austria, China, Egypt, Iran, Japan, United Arabs Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), and the United States.
“Sometimes it can take years to develop an idea mentally and bring it to light physically,” she reflects. “I always begin by playfully sketching a piece from different directions and creating small-scale 3D models. But stretching a small model into a larger six or seven foot piece is always a challenge. To stretch it out is like an awakening. You awaken the idea to be manifest in the marble, but the larger version may be so very different from the small. That’s when Photoshop comes in handy. By providing a means of inserting the model of the sculpture digitally into its ultimate site-specific location, I can visualize the piece in harmony with its environment.”
Ramersdorfer’s list of international exhibitions and installations is impressive. A piece exhibited at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing now permanently stands before the Beijing National Stadium. In 2010, Ramersdorfer was one of 17 artists—and the only woman—invited to take part in the Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium. In 2019, her piece, Inner View Interlocked Open, was awarded the prestigious Golden Prize at the Second Wenzhou, Zhejiang International Sculpture Exhibition, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Closer to home, Ramersdorfer’s sculpture Inner View_Nexus_Open I 2015-16 graces the front of the Opalka Gallery of Sage College, Albany; and from December 2016 to March 2017, Sage College hosted her solo show, Gravity & Light, Caroline Ramersdorfer Sculpture, 1985-2016.
The sculptor finds endless artistic inspiration living in the southern Adirondacks, a stone’s throw away from the Sacandaga River. She thrives on meeting new people, learning about different cultures, and incorporating her diverse experiences into her works. Ramersdorfer’s enthusiasm is palpable and infectious. Clearly, she loves what she does and savors the unique opportunities and challenges that come with each new project.
Ramersdorfer and her husband, John Van Alstine, consider their distinctively different artistic approaches as a “confluence of opposites.” Although they may use similar materials, they work with them differently. “Caroline’s work is looking into the stone at its crystalline and cellular structure,” Van Alstine notes, “whereas my work is building out, expanding outward.”
Having two world-renowned sculptors living nearby, eager to guide visitors around their exquisite Adirondack-Sacandaga River Sculpture Park, is truly a gift and a rare opportunity. As the autumn leaves turn, why not make plans to meet sculptors Caroline Ramersdorfer and John Van Alstine in Wells and tour their grounds and galleries? Their stunning works of art will surely rival the foliage.
Appointments are required.
Contact Caroline Ramersdorfer at
518-332-0212. See more of her work at sculpture.org/gallery/?id=64575735 or icloud.com/sharedalbum/ #B0WGVfZ2vGTae9R