When Sculpture Finds Its Voice

 

On November 14, Form & Bronze, a gallery dedicated to contemporary sculpture, joined forces with St Petersburg’s iconic House of Books to launch Reading Sculpture, Reading Literature, a new cultural project accompanied by a one-work exhibition. At its heart is Arsen Avetisyan’s sculpture Reflections on The Little Prince.

Sculpture is often perceived as something cold and monumental. Yet for those willing to engage with it, it can become an attentive storyteller. Bronze can be explored for meaning in much the same way as a literary text. Learning to read sculptural form is a skill in its own right, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s moving tale offered the perfect starting point.

The sculpture first appeared in St Petersburg in 2002, in the courtyard of the Faculty of Philology at St Petersburg State University. More than two decades later, the artist’s work has found a new voice within the walls of the city’s oldest bookshop. In the dual-faced Harlequin seated atop an old tome, Avetisyan captures the timeless tension between the weary bustle of adulthood and the mischievous gaze of the inner child — the part of us that never loses its capacity for wonder.

"For us, this project is a way of reminding people that a still form can speak the language of emotion just as powerfully as great literature. We wanted to create a space where visitors could pause for a moment, listen to themselves, and discover something new in a familiar story — something that resonates with their own inner world,” says Ksenia Antoshkina, Director of Form & Bronze.

The opening also featured the premiere of a short film created especially for the launch. Actor Fyodor Fedotov takes the lead role in a story about the inner child who lives within every adult.

The evening culminated in a special gesture: Form & Bronze gifted the bookstore a smaller-scale sculpture of The Little Prince, allowing the beloved story to find a permanent home on Nevsky Prospekt. The event concluded with a lecture exploring the visual identity of St Petersburg.

The exhibition is on view in the Arts Hall from November 14 through January 14. Step inside the House of Books and discover a story brought to life in bronze.

And for those who find a special connection with this encounter, Form & Bronze has a New Year surprise in store: soon, visitors will be able to bring a miniature version of the sculpture into their own homes or give it to someone dear.