Sculpture exhibition in Salisbury cathedral - I like..

Photo: Man with Cup (2008) The height at which this figure is shown and his pose, holding something in his hand, brings to mind images of saints presenting their attributes, but instead he offers a simple coffee cup. Bronze, all weather paint, 51 x 34 x 139cm.

I travelled through Salisbury on Monday this week, going back home from our garden journey in Cornwall and Somerset. We were a group of 28 persons. Luckily we had a break in Salisbury to see the cathedral and have lunch. We were alla astonished and amazed by the sculpture exhibition by artist Sean Henry.

The Indifferent Sky (2011) A man dressed in simple clothes sits alone. He displays an intensity and sense of internal struggle that is reinforced by the rusted steel bench, tapering towards the ground, on which he sits. Bronze, cor-ten steel, all weather paint, 237 x 120 x 149cm.

Photo: Standing Woman (2010) A young woman stands motionless but contemplative and alert. She is reduced in scale to 61% of her normal height - the ‘golden ratio’ – confusing the encounter with memories of childhood. Bronze, all weather paint, 35 x 22 x 113cm.

This is a text about it from Salisbury homepage:
The largest exhibition to date of figurative sculptor Sean Henry’s work can be seen in the spectacular surroundings of Salisbury Cathedral for three months from 22 July – 31 October.

Man of Honour (1999) The title of this inscrutable figure is taken from the Sicilian phrase used to describe the men of the Cosa Nostra. Here, in depicting the figure in orange workman’s clothes, the artist deliberately encourages us to question who the real men of honour are. Ceramic, oil paint, 33 x 20 x 83cm.

‘Conflux: A Union of the Sacred and the Anonymous’ features over 20 sculptures of dramatically different scales by this innovative artist, positioned amongst and alongside the Cathedral’s earlier sculptures, in expected and unexpected places. The exhibition is a modern updating of the pre-Reformation tradition of displaying polychrome figures and is believed to be the biggest single collection of polychrome sculpture in the Cathedral since the Reformation.

Man and Child (2001) This work was made soon after the artist had his son. The use of blue and white and the way in which the baby faces out to the audience allude to traditional depictions of mother and child. Ceramic, oil paint, 22 x 33 x 84cm.

Canon Treasurer Mark Bonney, chairman of the Cathedral’s Exhibitions Committee, said “The title of Sean Henry’s exhibition expresses quite succinctly what visitors to the Cathedral will see. ‘Conflux’ means a bringing together and this exhibition unites Sean’s contemporary, secular sculpture with our existing medieval, classical sculptures. The Cathedral’s ‘sacred’ sculptures celebrate historically important men and women and the glories of faith whilst Sean’s sculptures depict the humanity of contemporary secular man and pay homage to the ‘anonymous’ and unknown.”

Man Looking Up (2008) The upward gaze of this half life-size figure raises interesting questions. In glancing up, he both avoids the gaze of the viewer and appears distracted by his thoughts. Ceramic, oil paint, 29 x 19 x 83cm.

Sean Henry said, “The creativity and ambition of the people who built this Cathedral is truly breathtaking and inspiring, and it is an honour to show my sculpture here. This Cathedral is not a museum but a living building and its significance comes from the community who uses it and visits it.

It is my hope that my anonymous figures will in some small way memorialize the everyday presence of people in this space, drawing attention to their role in its history and the significance of the here and now, as well as making people think about the building’s existing sculpture in a different way. The exhibition also invites us to contemplate the role of the Cathedral today and the evolving nature of art in religious environments.”

Kind regards
Ann

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