Bumpman on Tree (2021) by Paloma Varga WeiszMayor of London
The Quiet Anti-Hero...
Bumpman for Trafalgar Square is a figure Paloma Varga Weisz has returned to often in her work. He is a quiet anti-hero with a body that appears curious and distorted by organic swellings; these protrusions are the manifestation of our own insecurities and body dysmorphia.
Bumpman on Tree (2021) by Paloma Varga WeiszMayor of London
...and Anti-thesis of Historical Grandeur
A sculptural visualisation of the fragility of the body particularly in this extraordinarily precarious time, Bumpman for Trafalgar Square would stand apart from the famed lions and Nelson’s Column. He is gentle and unassuming in the midst of historical grandeur, resting on his branch, inviting us to join him in quiet contemplation.
Bumpman on Tree (2021) by Paloma Varga WeiszMayor of London
The Artist's Style
Paloma works primarily as a sculptor and draughtswoman producing intricate carvings and small scale, mythical watercolour works. She is inspired by the German tradition of early 16th century pamphlets depicting extraordinary human anatomies called wundergestalten, as well as the mythical figure of the schrat, a human-like, forest spirit of German folklore.
Paloma Varga Weisz Portrait by Paloma Varga WeiszMayor of London
About the Artist
Paloma was born in Mannheim, Germany in 1966. Her training was first in woodcarving at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria then in art at Staatliche Kunstakademie Dusseldorf.
Her awards include the Holbach-Award in 2007; the Marianna-Werefkin Award and the Art and Sponsorship Award Rheinland-Pflaz, both in 2004; and a Bremerhaven-Fellowship in 2000. In 2012, six of her drawings were acquired and exhibited by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She lives and works in Düsseldorf.
L Rhoda Molife
