"The task of the artist is to invent the self that will create the work."
Zoya Niedermann (1954, CA) is an internationally renowned sculptor known for her expressive bronze works in which the human figure takes center stage. In her sculptures, she explores the relationship between inner emotion and outward form. By combining soft, organic bodily shapes with geometric architectural elements such as arches, doors, and columns, she expresses the profound interconnectedness between human beings and their urban environment.
After her studies at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Concordia University, Niedermann began casting small bronzes in the 1970s. Her fascination with metal developed while working at her stepfather’s scrapyard, where she discovered the weight, presence, and timeless quality of the material. Today, she works directly in wax, a tactile and intuitive method that allows her to shape ideas freely before they are cast in bronze.
In the 1990s she created her distinctive “O’clock” series, inspired by nature and the passage of time. Her oeuvre evolved into a synthesis of human emotion and architectural structure, addressing themes of transformation, vulnerability, and resilience. Recent works such as La Gioia, Vergogna, and Dubbio explore the emotional connection between humanity and its environment, reflecting on the potential of the human spirit to rise toward a higher level of consciousness.
Niedermann received the prestigious Hakone Open-Air Museum Prize in Japan in 1993. Her work is included in important public and private collections worldwide, including the Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum (Japan) and the de Young Museum (San Francisco). She exhibits internationally and divides her time between Montreal and Italy. In 2025, she released her retrospective book Bronze, highlighting her artistic journey and body of work.