Award-Winning Sculptor Ferdi B Dick Featured in JL Interviews

In April 2026, JL Interviews published an in-depth artist interview covering the full scope of Ferdi B Dick's practice, from his 20-year career in 3D animation through to large-scale public sculpture installations in China.

The interview explores how Ferdi's background in animation shapes his approach to sculpting animals. As he told JL Interviews:

"In animation, you are always thinking about silhouette, gesture, weight, and how even a small shift in posture can completely change the emotional reading of a figure. I still think that way when I sculpt."

He describes the balance between observation and interpretation when working with animal subjects:

"I study real anatomy and behaviour, but I also pay close attention to how a tilt of the head, the angle of the eyes, or the tension in the mouth can suggest curiosity, dignity, mischief, vulnerability, or affection. My animation background trained me to look for those subtle signals."

The article highlights Ferdi's philosophy of suspended motion in sculpture, describing it as a guiding principle carried over from animation:

"A sculpture is static, but I still want it to feel alive, as if it has paused in the middle of a thought or movement."

"That sense of suspended motion is something I definitely carried over from animation into my sculpture practice."

On Materials and Process

Ferdi's material evolution is traced from bronze through stainless steel and crystal. He initially worked with bronze for its heritage and weight, then expanded into stainless steel for a cleaner, more contemporary impact, and into crystal for brilliance and theatrical refinement. Across all materials, the consistent thread is bold character, emotional anatomy, and movement-driven composition.

His pipeline combines computational design (Houdini, ZBrush, 3D printing) with traditional manufacturing processes including lost-wax bronze casting and crystal casting. The resulting sculptures operate as what the article describes as "animated avatars" in three dimensions, with exaggerated features and cartoon-influenced proportions creating a playful yet emotionally legible world.

On Public Sculpture

The interview covers the specific challenges of working at monumental scale. Ferdi explains that public sculpture changes the process fundamentally:

"With studio pieces, I can be more intimate and subtle because the viewer usually encounters the work at close range. With public works, the sculpture has to communicate clearly from a distance and hold its presence within a much larger environment."

"Scale affects everything: structure, engineering, material behaviour, surface treatment, transport, installation, and long-term durability. You are not only thinking as an artist, but also in relation to architecture, landscape, weather, and public interaction."

He describes how the surrounding site becomes part of the artwork:

"I think carefully about how the sculpture will be approached, how it sits in the space, what it looks like from different angles, and how people may move around it. A public piece should have a strong identity, but it should also feel connected to its setting."

His public commissions discussed in the article:

2021: 5-metre ox, Taiyuan, China 2022: Three large tiger astronaut sculptures, Taiyuan, China 2022: 7-metre inflatable rabbit, Taiyuan, China 2023: 9-metre whale with water splash, Zhanjiang International Riverside CBD, China In production: Second whale sculpture for Thailand

On Recognition

The article notes Ferdi's awards at the Zayton Cup International Design Competition in China (2021), where he won both the Bronze Award and the Most Market Value Award for "Lina Lion Dancer." JL Interviews frames this as affirmation of both artistic quality and market value, where character-led emotion and sculptural impact align.

On His Base and Direction

Ferdi is described as South African-born, now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with his company Ferdi B Dick Pte. Ltd. headquartered in Singapore. The article positions his base as reflecting the international reach of his exhibitions and commissions across South Africa, Belgium, Spain, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia.

JL Interviews closes with:

"In his world, movement is meaning, and emotion is sculpture, built for galleries today and landmarks tomorrow."

Read the original article: JL Interviews https://www.jlinterviews.com/award-winning-sculptor-ferdi-b-dick-a-journey-from-studio-craft-to-international-exhibition-and-city-installations/

Pdf of interview: download