December 08
After the runaway success of her 1999 show
entitled ‘Life Force’ at Bath and North East Somerset Council’s
Victoria Art Gallery in 1999, acclaimed sculptor Sophie Ryder is
back with a thought provoking new exhibition of large scale
sculptures and wire drawings.
The new exhibition will be on display at the
Council-run Art Gallery near Pulteney Bridge from Saturday, 4 April
until 10 June 2009. There will also be a Sophie Ryder trail
involving a range of other venues and open spaces, including Bath
Abbey and Abbey Church Yard.
Jon Benington, Manager of the Victoria Art
Gallery, said: “Bath & North East
Somerset Council is delighted to welcome
Sophie Ryder back with her latest exciting collection of work. The
exhibits include monumental half-human, half-hare figures that the
visitor can touch and interact with by means of pathways cutting
through the middle of the sculpture.”
“In her new work, Ryder is less concerned with narratives
involving a cast of characters. Now the focus is much more on
single figures and their inner states of being – often reflected by
the enclosed or encircling poses that they adopt. These inner
states include sleeping, dreaming, watchfulness, withdrawal and
self-protection. They reflect the artist's concern for recent
events that have had a global impact, such as 9:11 and the ever
present threat from terrorism and environmental disasters.”
Also included are giant wire drawings and sculptures of hands
and eyes, isolated from their anatomical contexts. These pieces
stress the humanity that lies at the core of Ryder's work, even in
the 'hybrid' figures that are half animal and half human.
For over 20 years, Sophie Ryder has consistently found a warm
reception for her work in Bath. She studied at the Royal Academy
Schools and is in great demand at exhibitions and art fairs all
over the world. Many of these works have been monumental in scale
and placed in outdoor settings.
She lives with her husband and two children in
a converted barn in the Cotswolds where she creates her work
in a studio converted from a cow byre.
Jon Benington added: “The idea of making
three-dimensional sculptures entirely from wire was pioneered by
Sophie Ryder. She begins with a metal armature, which is covered
with wire of different thickness, including bed springs and other
pieces salvaged from skips.”
“To shape the wire she uses her bare hands and
pliers, sometimes aided by a hammer. It is a very physical
job and tough on the hands, which inevitably get filthy and cut to
ribbons.”
Full details are available on the website at
www.victoriagal.org.uk or by calling the
Victoria Art Gallery on Tel: 01225 477233.
The Victoria Art Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 10am-5.30pm,
Saturday 10am-
5pm and Sunday 2pm-5pm. The Gallery is closed
on Monday and admission is free.
ENDS