Marius Ritiu: Sculpting Copper with Blowtorch and Hammer

Marius Ritiu, a Romanian artist residing in Antwerp, specializes in crafting copper sculptures and furniture. He achieves the moon-like textures of his pieces by heating industrial copper sheets with a blowtorch and shaping them with a hammer. Originally from Satu Mare, Transylvania, Ritiu started his artistic journey with clay and holds degrees in sculpture. In 2010, he and another artist visited Antwerp during a scouting expedition, where they were accepted into the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His exploration of copper began while assisting a professor with church dome decorations. After a partnership concluded in 2017, he innovated a "nomadic" style of repoussé. His work, Cosmic Stump, has recently been added to the Middelheim Museum's permanent collection. He is currently constructing a studio and preparing a six-meter-tall outdoor sculpture for Objects With Narratives in October.