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Stone work - Ahmadi Saeid holds a clay model of his work “Repression”. Behind him is the massive sandstone block he will be turning into his sculpture.

Artist Ahmadi Saeid says the sculpture he is creating at this year’s Bergen Rocks International Sculpture Symposium is an exploration of the cost of repression on the human spirit.

“It’s about the pull or the stress of repression,” said Saeid. “You can see the stress in the stone as it is with people.”

His sandstone work is called ‘Repression’ and once completed will be a work full of curves and bends, all representing the twisting and turning that repression creates.

“Everything has compound curves from being twisted,” he said. “I’m not political, but you can’t be free if you’re repressed. That’s the overall feeling I’m creating.”

Saeid, from Iran, is one of five artists at this year’s Bergen Rocks International Sculpture Symposium. The other artists are Peerpong Doungkaew from Thailand, Tony Di Guglielmo from Montreal, Tanja Roeder from Germany, and Mohamad Resa Yazdi, also from Iran.

The symposium runs from July 1 to July 31. The symposium site, southwest of Sundre on the property of founder Morton Burke, is open to the public during the day (except Tuesdays), with visitors given an up-close opportunity to watch the artists at work.

Saeid’s current Bergen Rocks sculpture is part of his larger exploration of repression - he has also drawn and painted a number of related pieces of art.

A gala unveiling of all the Bergen Rocks art works will take place on July 31.

To get to the site, head 6.4 km south on Highway 760 from Sundre, 1.6 km west on Pioneer Lodge Road, and 1.5 km south on Rge. Rd. 5.4.