"It radically influenced his work."
Chicago-based artist Eric W. Stephenson talks about how Richard Hunt shaped modern American sculpture, turning abstract and welded metal art like Hero's Head into powerful expressions of Black history and movement.
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"You do this everyday."
Chicago-based sculptor @ericwstephenson talks about the grind of metal art and the work ethic instilled in him by his father and the late Richard Hunt.
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âWeâre going to go to the studio and bang on metal.â đ¨
Chicago-based metal artist Eric W. Stephenson of @lunarburnstudio joins us on The Fabricator Podcast to talk about his career and his 20-plus years working alongside the late legendary sculptor Richard Hunt.
đ Episode now available on all podcast platforms.
Because he came up in conversation today whilst talking to @oteroso , let's start the Instagram refresh with @ericwstephenson talking about Richard Hunt. From Richard's 2025 show at @whitecube Bermondsey. #contemporaryart #gallery #sculpture #Chicago #install
Vessel #111, 2010
Eric W. Stephenson
welded stainless, Blown Glass w/concrete base
Eric W. Stephenson creates abstract sculptures
that conceal direct references to the human form,
allowing the essence of the figure to emerge
indirectly. When placed in public spaces, his forms
engage quietly with their surroundings, sparking
subtle, subconscious conversations. His work
explores the form, spirit, and experience of the
body, human and otherwise, rendered through
abstraction and informed by industrial materials
and methods. His most recent work returns to the
human form to figure a language of movement
through a mastery of metal. âVessel #111â evokes
the subtle sway and rhythm of a belly dancer; the
artist is inspired by dancers, gymnasts, circus
performers, rock climbers, and any time the body
is in motion.
His work explores the idea of an implied, unseen
interiorâan influence drawn from the vessel in
ceramics. Stephenson is fascinated by how
technology shapes human perception, blurring the
boundaries between human and machine, hope and fear, identity and anonymity.
He works with materials that suggest both tradition
and the futureâsteel, stainless steel, bronze, and
glass. Using familiar elements from the built
environmentâfixtures, bolts, portals, and screens
âStephenson constructs forms that reveal
themselves as vessels, hinting at interior worlds
within their industrial exteriors.
@ericwstephenson sculpture on loan from the artist is in a new location: Big Walls Gallery (E/F corridor) near the GovState Visual Arts Gallery
It was previously sited in the Center for Performing Arts where the energetic lines and forms alluded to dancing and performance.
Look for another outdoor sculpture by Eric @_thenate_
