Art Scene: This abstract sculpture gives a sense of ‘motion to metal’
The “Pharah” sculpture on Northeastern’s Boston campus was created by Cuban-born sculptor and ceramist Rafael Consuegra.
Title: “Pharah” (1996)
Artist: Rafael Consuegra
Materials: Metal and ceramic
Size: Approximately 16 feet tall
Location: Boston campus, Outside Dockser Hall at 65 Greenleaf St.
About: The “Pharah” sculpture created by Rafael Consuegra stands tall outside Dockser Hall, pointing upward and reaching toward the sky.
Like many of the artist’s sculptures, the abstract artwork “gives a sense of motion to metal,” according to a description of the piece.
The artwork is black metal with a red ceramic ball in the middle. The piece stands about 16 feet tall, including the black stone base. It is situated on Greenleaf Street, near the intersection with Forsyth Street. The sculpture was a gift from the Class of 1946.
Consuegra was born in Havana in 1941. He left the island because of the Cuban Revolution and settled in Miami in 1960. Consuegra attended Miami Dade College and then the University of Miami. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of Miami before working as an art and design professor at Miami Dade College.
In 1974, Consuegra moved to Barcelona, Spain, and established a studio.
“He created many of his metal abstract sculptures in Barcelona,” says Betty Wright, Consuegra’s daughter and art director for his works and website. “I was unaware of this, assuming he started working with the abstract metal sculptures in Miami.”
“An artist is a triangle: heart, mind and hands,” Consuegra said.
“My father was in every sense the true artist. You know, everything you would think of as a true artist,” Wright says. “He didn’t conform to society’s norms, if you will. He was all about his artwork. I think what you see is a lot of movement, symmetry, balance. He was expressing what he was going through at that time.”
In addition to “Pharah,” Northeastern has a second Consuegra sculpture on campus, “El Gallo.” In Spanish, the native language of the Cuban-born sculptor, el gallo means the rooster.
And the 6-foot-tall, painted-red metal sculpture depicts a rooster. From the comb on the top of its head to the big metal plate of saddle feathers to the claws of its feet, this rooster is all metal welded together. The art piece is situated in the sculpture garden along the path between the Curry Student Center and Snell Library.
Consuegra created the sculpture in 1998. It was a gift from Janice and S. James Coppersmith to the university.
Some of his works were also on exhibit at the university in September 2007.