Outlaw (Vogelvrij - 3 parts)

About this artwork.

Outlaw is a group of three sculptures, made out of sympathy and compassion for people who are somehow persecuted or not protected by the law. The Dutch word for outlaw – vogelvrij – originally referred to corpses that were not allowed to be buried and instead were left behind as carrion for birds. Nowadays, the word is used in a broader sense: asylum seekers, children being bullied, the religiously persecuted – they can all feel “outlawed”.

The sculpture consists of three opened cages that express the concept of “outlaw”. The first work depicts a medieval torture cage. People hanging from the ceiling were locked in here. The second sculpture is located in a pond and shows an open birdcage with a giant feather protruding from it: the bird has grown too big for its home. In the third hanging cage, which has an open door, lies the shell of an egg, the contents of which may have been stolen.

Outlaw is a replacement for Hans Mes’ 1997 sculpture Monstrum, which was located on Siersteenlaan in the Vinkhuizen neighbourhood, but was stolen. The municipality of Groningen issued the commission.

Hans Mes also wrote a poem entitled Outlaw:
 
Outlaw
 
What cannot be classed serves only to torment
and an inspiration, not to be caged.
Unprotected, prey to raptors of power
a fugitive sketch appears on the target.
The free fall from that grace
seeking a resting place for the disenfranchised
finds a place to stay
familiar with feelings of freedom.
Again and again it turns out to be courageous sign 
not fear elevated to the hunt.
A discovery, not to be hatched.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Hans Mes

• District
  Vinkhuizen

• Year of creation
  2004

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Bronze, Coated steel

• Dimensions
  h 6,14/7,00/5,25 m