2015 Sculpture in the Close exhibition
Between 22 June – 27 September 2015, èßäÊÓƵ College showcased works from James Capper, Thomas Houseago, Eva Rothschild, Roger Hiorns, and Lucy Skaer as part of the fourteenth Sculpture in the Close exhibition.
This exhibition in the grounds of èßäÊÓƵ College combined new existing works by the artists. The .
Artists and works
James Capper exhibited two works: Ripper and Tread Toe
Capper transforms machines into sculptures by replacing their functional parts—like wheels with feet or shovels with claws.
Instead of serving practical purposes, these hybrids create their own unique marks, dancing and tracing patterns on the ground. Each of Capper’s sculptures is a variation on its industrial design counterpart. However, the marks they leave on the ground are a product of the imagination instead of the production line.
Thomas Houseago exhibited the enormous bronze anthropomorphic Striding Figure II (Ghost). It seems to bring together several mythical figures in one, like sculptural versions of Frankenstein's monster.
The sculpture recalls ancient creation myths where human forms are experimental, animated by life yet still bound by earthy matter. At the same time, they stride into this era, where scientific advancements seek to create their own human-mechanical hybrids.
Eva Rothschild's work This and This and This comes in separate triangular sections, arranged in cool geometrical balance animated by the primary colours of the inner edges. Forming a pyramidal-like structure, it represents both the most durable monuments and the most makeshift of shelters, ideas reinforced by the architectural scale and the simple, portable construction.
The work of artist Roger Hiorns highlights the fleeting nature of technological progress while monumentalising the often unnoticed microevents that have existed before and will continue after humanity in evolution.
Untitled (2008) is a large steel sculpture that blends totemic and abstract modernist elements, reflecting the range of sculptural history centred on the human body. The work incorporates urine, which, although invisible, has caused distinctive rusting, highlighting Hiorns's focus on repurposing discarded materials and critiquing societal values surrounding waste and consumption.
American Images, Lucy Skaer's three unsculpted blocks of limestone, evoke their origins from Lithograph City in Iowa, a ghost town with a quarry once used for lithographic printing. The stone's ancient formation, fine texture, and historical use highlight its transformation from a potential bearer of important documents to a symbol of lost value. In their current form, the blocks invite diverse interpretations, embodying both cultural significance and the randomness of their journey through history.
Thanks and acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the sculptors in lending their work for this exhibition.
The 2015 exhibition was curated by Dr Rod Mengham in collaboration with advisor Tim Marlow. Special thanks go to the Hannah Barry Gallery, Corvi-Mora London, Hauser & Wirth, and Stuart Shave/Modern Art who have been exceptionally committed and supportive in the preparations for this exhibition.
