Adriaan Diedericks

Adriaan Diedericks (b. 1990, South Africa) is a sculptor based in France. He earned a BA in Fine Arts from Stellenbosch University in 2012, where he developed his foundation in sculpture and a deep engagement with materiality and form.

His work explores the tension between materiality and meaning—how solid structures can hold abstract concepts like power, resilience, and transformation. The human form is central to his practice, not as an idealized figure, but as a vessel shaped by history, memory, and imperfection.

Working primarily in bronze, Diedericks embraces both tradition and process. Unlike classical sculptors who conceal their armatures, he allows them to remain visible, reinforcing the idea that nothing is ever truly complete or flawless—neither in art nor in life. His sculptures shift depending on the viewer’s perspective, playing with what is revealed and what remains obscured. Influenced by the Hegelian “master-slave” dialectic and Michel Foucault’s ideas on power, his work reflects on control, perception, and the slow forces of transformation—both internal and external.

His approach is intuitive, with each piece informing the next in an evolving dialogue rather than a fixed conclusion. Inspired by mythology, literature, and history, his sculptures invite contemplation on the passage of time and the forces that shape us. While rooted in classical materials, his work challenges rigid ideals of form and permanence, creating spaces for reflection in a world that is always in flux.