De Gulle Waard/The Generous Gatekeeper

De Gulle Waard/The Generous Gatekeeper, a work by Sharon Van Overmeiren from 2021, is made of wrought iron, bronze and terracotta, and is located in the inner courtyard of Het Steen in Antwerp. The work was created as a contemporary interpretation of the Semini statue, embedded above the entrance gate of Het Steen. This small statue is one of the oldest in Antwerp and a pagan symbol of fertility and prosperity. For Van Overmeiren, the open history of Semini provided a fruitful starting point for her own creation. 

Having grown up near Het Steen herself, Van Overmeiren brings together in this sculpture various historical and visual references. In her unique personal style, the artist embraces the untamed energy that Semini evokes as a pre-Christian, erotically charged idol and channels it into an exuberant contemporary work. 

The new work bears the title De Gulle Waard/The Generous Gatekeeper. This innkeeper or gatekeeper follows in the footsteps of folklore figures such as Lange Wapper and Druon Antigoon, earlier inhabitants of Het Steen. The gatekeeper is generous and welcomes visitors with a big smile and open arms. 

The wrought-iron pedestal on which the sculpture stands resembles a cage with wavy bars, referring both to the nearby river and to the historic function of Het Steen as a prison. The fortress was also a safe repository for treasures and wealth, and a bastion of power and prosperity. This is represented by jewels, a crown, chains, keys and locks, all incorporated into the bronze base of the sculpture. 

The upper part, handcrafted in clay, reprises the form of the historic Semini statue, depicted with arms and legs spread. By repeating this form, the artist creates a sinuous upward movement that ends in two open arms. The figure welcomes visitors – and the world – into Het Steen and the city. This ceramic totem incorporates organic motifs of ears of grain, archaic symbols of fertility and prosperity, as well as hearts, symbols of love and passion. 

The work was inaugurated on 24 September 2021 and was commissioned by Visit Antwerp in collaboration with Kunst in de Stad in dialogue with the Antwerps Komitee Semini In Ere association. 

Sharon Van Overmeiren (b. 1985) freely combines in her work forms and motifs drawn from diverse sources, ranging from classical antiquity to pop culture, from medieval heraldry to pre-Columbian sculpture. In this way she creates what she calls “fictional sculptures”: figures whose story or identity can never be fully captured in a single glance.