Selwyn Senatori From Line to Presence
Selwyn Senatori the Pearl creator, stainless steel sculpture 2026
Sunday the 25th of Januari this first sculpture “the Pearl creator” will be revealed at Ron gastrobar, Sophialaan 55, Amsterdam. please r.s.v.p.
In his latest body of work, Dutch artist Selwyn Senatori makes a decisive and compelling shift from the pictorial plane into three-dimensional space. While his visual language has long been defined by expressive line work, symbolic figures, and an intuitive sense of narrative, these new stainless steel sculptures mark a moment of consolidation and expansion. Senatori translates his unmistakable drawn vocabulary into physical form, where silhouette, balance, and negative space become central artistic forces.
The sculptures retain the emotional immediacy and playfulness that define his earlier work, yet they now carry a heightened sense of material authority and spatial awareness. Rendered in stainless steel, the figures possess both strength and vulnerability: industrial in construction, poetic in gesture. The line — once illustrative — is transformed into structure, turning drawing into architecture and gesture into volume.
This new sculptural direction reflects a broader artistic maturation. Senatori is no longer merely depicting figures; he is allowing them to inhabit space. The works establish a dialogue with their environment and with the viewer, suggesting themes of balance, introspection, and the human condition, while remaining open, accessible, and emotionally resonant. It is a confident evolution that positions his practice firmly within the international field of contemporary sculpture and installation.
A New Sculptural Chapter
Selwyn Senatori’s stainless steel sculptures represent a significant and highly collectible evolution within his oeuvre. These works distil his recognisable visual language into refined three-dimensional forms that balance conceptual depth with strong aesthetic presence. Each sculpture functions as a stand-alone statement while clearly belonging to a coherent and expanding series.
Detail of Senatori steel sculpture
The choice of stainless steel introduces durability, permanence, and architectural clarity, making the works suitable for both indoor and outdoor settings. Subtle colour accents and simplified forms enhance their sculptural readability, while the use of negative space creates a dynamic interaction between object and environment. The figures appear at once playful and contemplative, evoking a quiet humanism that resonates across cultures.
From a collecting perspective, these sculptures mark the beginning of a new chapter with strong future potential: scalable in size, adaptable to public and private spaces, and aligned with current international interest in design-led contemporary sculpture. They signal Senatori’s growing ambition toward larger installations and public works, while remaining intimate and refined enough for discerning private collections.
Senatori sculpture
Interview with Senatori
Artistic Evolution
Your work has long been defined by line and gesture. What motivated the move from drawing and painting into three-dimensional sculpture at this moment in your career?
The new evolving visual language that I’m creating just simply asks or let’s say screams to fill up certain public spaces as well as for interior spaces. The forms and shapes are coming to life.
Do you see these sculptures as a continuation of your existing language, or as the beginning of a fundamentally new chapter?
This is definitely a fundamental new chapter for me and at the same time, it’s a natural appendix which is growing into a large organ. Or maybe a star that gets brighter and brighter.
Rough steel before it was powdercoated by Senatori
Material and Process
Why did you choose stainless steel as the primary material for these works, and what does it allow you to express that other materials do not?
The stainless steel refers to a style period in which I’m very interested such as Bauhaus and the Stijl. it doesn’t mean I’m only sticking to steel. The interest also lies in marble and Neon. The beauty of steel is that it is forever. Once coated. It will endure time.
How does working with weight, balance, and engineering influence your creative decisions compared to working on a flat surface?
I’m continuously shaping checking readjusting the steel shapes. It’s a whole process. It requires some technical insights. I’m learning to weld and lasercut. These things aren’t easy so you have to have patience. It’s not easy to reshape once the steel is bended or cut. I love working with contrast in the forms and in weight.
Form and Meaning
The figures appear playful yet introspective. How conscious are you of emotional or psychological themes when shaping these forms?
That’s right the playfulness is the positive and harmonious coherence from an anthropological point of view. So I’m pretty much combining the figures in a way that they tell a story or adept to a theme.
The Pearl Creator scetch by Senatori
Many of the gestures and proportions are simplified and symbolic. What role does abstraction play in leaving space for the viewer’s interpretation?
Working in a more abstractive depth the viewer instantly feels attracted to the artwork because it sends out a message that I want to send out so without instantly giving away a whole detailed story it leaves the observer, thinking for itself, and maybe just be in the moment and picking up the vibe.
Space and Presence
These sculptures activate the space around them. How important is the relationship between the work, the environment, and the viewer?
As I already mentioned, the artwork fills up a space that could either be public or private and while it being in public, that means the observer or the viewer can get involved with it. Since I’m sending out a message through my Art which means it’s not only decorative. The public can relate to it in one way or the other
Do you imagine these works living more in private collections, public spaces, or architectural contexts?
In all honesty I see them everywhere. Call Elon and get the first one on Mars!
Future Direction
Is this sculptural practice something you envision expanding into larger-scale or public installations?
Definitely. I always was intrigued with the huge size installations like the ones that Calder or Claes Oldenburg use to make. I see myself making these large sized sculptures as well.
How do you see this three-dimensional work influencing your two-dimensional practice moving forward?
It’s a symbiotic thing. The one influences the other. I’m even making tiny little threat wire studies that come from a closer look to the larger objects that I’m creating and those larger objects or sculptures emerge from drawings and paintings. So it comes full circle.
Senatori sculpture at the studio
Identity and Legacy
At this stage of your career, what feels most essential to you in maintaining your artistic identity while continuing to evolve?
The endorsement of my gallery owners and being able to show my artwork on various shows and art fairs. This is very important for me as an artist to have a solid structure behind me so I can fully focus on the one thing that matters, and that is creating great new artworks .
What do you hope collectors and audiences ultimately experience when encountering these new works in person?
I’m doing this from an internal fire that is burning. I’m addicted to the creation. My sculptures, paintings and drawings reflect a part of my personality, and the majority of that is positivity with nuances of criticism, cynicism, a touch of romance and nostalgia, hints of blues, some behavioral studies, and an avantgardistic attitude. They might pick up on that!
