“A monument to the nail” some locals call it. But this is Cincel Sculpture. This giant chisel stands tall beside the Rio de la Plata. It is in the Buenos Aires town of Martinez.
The Cincel Sculpture rises ten meters high. Argentine sculptor Jorge Gamarra created this monumental work. It opened in 2017. This sculpture honors manual labor. Both artists and workers use the chisel.
Cincel sits at Pacheco y el rio. It weighs 63,000 kilos. Bronze and granite make up this grand sculpture. Gamarra has placed many works in public spaces. These include Puerto Madero, and parks in Pinamar and Resistencia. You can even find his work in Ecuador, Chile, and Mexico.
Cincel is a recurring symbol in Gamarra’s work. He explained it is a tribute to work. Work can take many forms. As a sculptor, this is his representation. Gamarra said a chisel is like a milestone aesthetically.
Getting commissioned for public art means a lot to Gamarra. He wants everyone to see it. He hopes his work will outlive him.
Gamarra was born in Buenos Aires in 1939. He trained at an industrial high school. This self-taught sculptor started with wood and acrylic in the 1960s. He won grants from the National Fund for the Arts. He also received one from the Italian government. These allowed him to study in Rome.
Gamarra represented Argentina at sculpture events. These took place in Canada, Italy, France, and the USA. He won awards from the National Academy of Fine Arts. He also won the Gran Premio de Honor del Salon Nacional. Among others, he won two Konex awards in Sculpture.
Gamarra is part of the geometric art tradition. He redefined the field. He worked with Victor Grippo, Enio Iommi, and Gyula Kosice. He starts with industrial forms. The sculptor works with stone, wood, acrylic, or metal. He sees his work as a search. It is a constant interaction with the material. Simplicity is always key.
Gamarra explained his works are very simple. They begin with a geometric image. Then they transform. Geometry changes and becomes something else. Others give the work meaning with their thoughts.