Saman & Sasan Oskouei
25 x 25 x 3 1/2 in
Break Free is a striking sculpture meticulously cut from corten steel, representing the silhouette of a human figure in mid-motion, appearing to pass through—or liberate itself from—a chain-link fence. The metallic grid, a recurring visual in Icy & Sot’s work, symbolizes physical and ideological barriers: borders, imprisonment, exclusion. From this rigid structure, the shape of a person emerges, sculpted in both negative and positive space, capturing a gesture of resistance and release.
Despite the solidity of its material, the work exudes a lightness and urgency. The figure seems to vibrate with tension, poised in the act of escape. The composition is both poetic and political, anchoring the viewer in contemporary struggles for freedom and dignity.
Critical Analysis
Break Free encapsulates Icy & Sot’s signature vocabulary—minimal yet loaded with meaning. The fence is not only an obstacle; it becomes the source of transformation. The body is not added onto the structure, but quite literally born from it, as if shaped by and in defiance of the constraints it seeks to overcome.
The rusted surface of the corten steel adds a sense of time and erosion—of struggle endured. The outline of the figure, rendered with precision and restraint, is deliberately anonymous. It invites identification: it could be anyone.
The sculpture brings a powerful message into a minimal form. It functions as both metaphor and monument—subtle yet unyielding in its demand for visibility and justice.