Hof der dingen - Sculpture ‘Metanoia’ – Johan Tahon

“Ever since I was young, I sought refuge in a combination of spirituality and making sculptures. Did you know I was only 15 when I first started sculpting?” That’s Johan Tahon, a sculptor from the small West Flemish town of Menen –once a small-town boy, now a world-renowned sculptor. 

He has said about his art, “My sculptures convey humans as contemplating, ever searching beings. They think about the world, sure, but about their sense of self as well”. Pretty deep, right? 

One of the many highlights of his career was when the Vatican asked him to create a piece for their collection. The sculpture was added to the Vatican’s art collection after an intriguing meeting with Pope Francis himself – or Papa as Johan called him. Seven copies of this exact sculpture were placed at spiritual locations worldwide- and now, one of these copies can be marveled at here as well. 

In his testimony about the day, he delivered the sculpture to Pope Francis, Johan has said: “I wore a tie for this special occasion – something I rarely do. But as we were starting to make our way to the Vatican, they told me that I had to deliver the sculpture on foot; Not so easy knowing that it weighs about 30 kilos! Luckily, I had a dolly with me – or a duveltje as we call it in West Flanders. But ouf course, I couldn’t get the device past the Swiss Guard, so I had to carry the whole thing up the stairs to the Vatican. I lifted it onto my shoulders – almost like Jesus carrying the cross on his way to Golgotha before being crucified.” 

Despite the struggle, he says it was all worth it. “The whole ordeal was physically challenging, but luckily, I had a very congenial meeting with Pope Francis. As I was leaving, one of the cardinals who had accompanied me told me the reason why it was so important that I carried the sculpture myself”. 

Want to know why? Catch the full interview and find out!