Ernest Demez

Ernest Demez hails from Ortisei in Val Gardena. This valley in the Italian Dolomites has been an important center for traditional wood carving for over three hundred years. The artist trained at the Val Gardena School of Woodcarving and also taught there for 27 years. Since ancient times, Val Gardena sculptors have focused on sacred themes (earning them the respectful nickname "Lord God Carvers"), and Demez's studio also created works such as a St. Martin and a St. Christina.

A large part of his work, however, is far less bound to tradition – in terms of materials (for example, plasticine and bronze are used alongside wood), in his choice of motifs, and in his visual language. Demez uses his exceptional craftsmanship, trained in traditional woodcarving, to create an art that is entirely his own: echoes of Art Deco and Art Nouveau are far more influential than the art of his Val Gardena forefathers.