Tatiana (Butterfly), 2017

‘Tatiana (Butterfly)’ by Hans Op de Beeck (1969, Belgium) is part of a series of life-sized sculptures with matt grey, concrete-like ‘skins’. This work, named after the little girl who stood model for it, evokes a sense of enchantment. Tatiana sits motionless with eyes closed. A butterfly has fluttered onto her outstretched index finger. Always keen to stimulate the viewer’s senses, Op de Beeck’s sculpture doesn’t return our gaze, forcing us to imagine what the girl is feeling. This serenely meditative work speaks to the poetics of small gestures, to the little things in life that form the singular focus of children but are so often overlooked in adulthood. ‘Tatiana (Butterfly)’ takes us back to the shared realm of childhood dreams.