Dimitar Lukanov’s new sculpture Mother and Child at the Mohawk River, at the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook pedestrian bridge, will be unveiled on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 6pm. Located at the entrance of the Riverlink Park, on the South Overlook landing, this is the first of three public art works the City of Amsterdam commissioned from the award-winning artist, who was selected for the project last year following a call for proposals.

The 12-foot bronze sculpture, finished in a light patina, depicts a mother and her child surrounded by a multitude of birds, fishes and plants native to the Mohawk River Valley. The composition creates the illusion that it emerges from the majestic, life-giving river. Mother and Child at the Mohawk River is a veritable symphony of life, capturing a moment of joy. The composition radiates movement, and every element appears to be in motion; there is no standstill in the togetherness of humans and nature.

This sculpture pays homage to the cornerstone of the American family, the Mother. The miraculous orchestra of flora and fauna is led by the gestures of the Mother, with whom the world begins. Her arms are extended in invitation, welcoming both the city and the river.

Dimitar Lukanov completed the large-scale sculpture, weighing some 4,500 pounds, in just three months. Executed using the 5000-year old beeswax and clay technique, the intricate bronze composition cannot be reproduced. During the successful casting process, all 127 molds perished, leaving one single unique cast.

Amsterdam’s Mayor Michael Villa commented, “This magnificent sculpture is an homage to our mothers, sisters, wives, and families. It’s a celebration of Amsterdam’s rebirth. It’s a marvel to look at and ever since its installation, the sculpture has been very popular with the citizens of Amsterdam”.

Lukanov describes the sculpture as “a captured frame of life; a celebration of togetherness with nature." He explains: “I was inspired by the paradisiacal beauty of the lush and fertile land we live in here, in upstate New York. The four seasons and the constant notion that life is an ever-flowing sequence of rebirth and renewal is reflected in the timeless joy radiating from this sculpture”.

ABOUT CITY OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK

As the largest city in Montgomery County, New York, Amsterdam is currently undergoing a process of revitalizing what was once a thriving industrial locale into a business friendly community with excellent educational institutions and housing for residents both young and old. The Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook is a public pedestrian bridge across the Mohawk River, connecting Bridge Street to the Riverlink Park. Opened to the public in August 2016, it features numerous trees and flower plantings, as well as local historical and cultural information. It is the first bridge in the United States, spanning over water, to be planted with live trees. For more on Amsterdam, see: http://www.amsterdamny.gov.

ABOUT DIMITAR LUKANOV

Dimitar Lukanov was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 1969. An American citizen since 2003, Lukanov studied art on full scholarship in Paris and New York receiving his MFA from Columbia University in 1997. He is the recipient of numerous grants including: Pollack Krasner, Michel and Helene David-Weill grant, Paris and New York, Clews Center for the Arts, France, Open Society Foundation, Skowhegan Fellowship, ArtCultureStudio, Geneva, Switzerland, Medal for Sculpture, First International Sculpture Symposium, Mexico and Invited Artist International Art Fair, Shanghai and Moscow, ExpressArte, Mexico. His New York’s JFK Terminal 4 three-piece sculpture commission marked an important moment in the Terminal’s major redevelopment as the number one international point of entry of all US air travel. He is member of the Chilean Association of Painters and Sculptors. Fluent in five languages, Dimitar Lukanov lives in Brooklyn, New York and works in his studio in Schoharie County, New York. www.dimitarlukanov.com