A great deal is said in the art world about “truth to material” the artist working with the inherent qualities of stone, wood, and metal- but in Lamba’s work I saw it demonstrated in a new way. Here was a sculptor whose understanding of the material extended not just to its physical qualities but beyond into a more intuitive realm where the inner spirit of the piece was realised. He makes particular use of salvaged timber which comes to him already marked by its history- oak beams from old sailing ships and barns with socket holes and iron bolts, baulks of greenheart from old lock gates. Relics from a bygone industrial and agrarian age are incorporated in the works and take on a new meaning, giving the work an archaeological and historical resonance. The form and history of the timber is the starting point for his dialogue with the material. The Cry evolved in this way, with its deep socket transfixed with a wooden peg from its previous life. It was part of a old warehouse in Lancaster built from slave ships. For the artist, the wood seemed to embody the suffering of the nameless thousands who had been victims of the trade.
The rich amalgam of cultural influences at large in his work are important but they do not define his approach. Rather, they are paths towards more universal mythologies and notions of the human condition. One of the main strengths of his work is that it addresses fundamental themes in a figurative idiom without becoming trite or sentimental. That is what makes it so compelling; the standing figure gazing upwards, the embracing lovers, the reclined figure, the mother and child, and the plant form bursting with life are all archetypes, embedded deep in the collective consciousness. The story of Icarus has been a recurrent theme in his work, representing for him the yearning of the immortal spirit to return to the infinite while caged in the mortal body. In Lifetrap, a more literal and narrative approach is adopted. Here, the scrambling, doomed figures poised on the ladder are like the damned in a medieval Last Judgement. Like Icarus, they symbolise the fate of humanity in the unequal struggle between flesh and spirit.
In the Pod series, the specificity of human relationships is transcended and the archetype becomes purer. It is based on the fundamental idea of the seedpod as the cradle of life. The Pod is an icon of power. At the same time it is a vessel, a womb, a coracle- rich in metaphysical associations- caught in a moment of transition. It conveys a sense of movement, as if on a journey, through time-back to the beginning. In Local Marriage, the flower head is sexualised and predatory, like a carnivorous plant, inviting the eye and the hand but retaining an air of danger. Many of these organic forms unite the male and female principles recalling the life affirming harmony of Shiva and Shakti- the cycle of creation and destruction reflected in Tantric philosophy.
Lamba’s works allow us to see familiar things more intensely and to reflect upon our experience of life through a clear and powerful visual language. It is an ongoing process of enquiry and discovery through which he strives for a deeper understanding of himself, the laws of nature, and the human condition.
