Continuum: An Exhibition of Sculpture
Edward Chudleigh, Olivia Clifton-Bligh, Keith Varney and Edward Willis

In an exhibition exclusively focussed on sculpture, four artists have developed a diverse body of work, with a common theme of pattern in nature, from biological Helix forms, to ideas of balance and form. This dynamic show incorporates an interplay of geometric abstraction and figuration through a variety of materials including bronze, oak and porcelain.

Bee Speaker

Olivia Clifton-Bligh
bronze with gold leaf, edition of 9, 145 x 70 x 70cm

Olivia Clifton-Bligh, who trained at Goldsmith's College London won the Althea Wynne Bursary Award which enabled her to complete this bronze sculpture, 'Bee Speaker' in 2018. The lion holds a gold bee on its tongue, posing the question, which is more vunerable, the lion or the bee? As one looks closely, the lion's mouth turns into honeycomb, a nod to the fable of Samson and the Lion. "Bees and their declining numbers are currently part of our collective consciousness. Our own future and theirs are intertwined. Bees have been a symbol of rebirth since at least the Bronze Age. My sculpture of the lion and the bee shows a moment of transformation, from earth bound body to air borne being".

She exhibits in London and throughout the UK and is a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

Edward Chudleigh, who comes from an engineering background, works in a mixture of materials and this series of work based on the Helix form are manufactured from oak in his robotics lab in Bath. After a successful career with Dyson, he has since divided his time between creating sculpture, often with moving parts, and piloting private jet aircraft. His work draws on patterns in natural structures sometimes with interactive elements and has been shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the Victoria Gallery, Bath.

 

Ed Willis constructs three-dimensional sculptures in bronze as well as in steel, copper and brass. Elegant forms with sometimes bold colour, each piece is a study of ‘dynamic equilibrium’, carefully constructed from many parts.

Helix I, Helix 2, Helix 3,
Keith Varney
porcelain

further images to follow

Keith Varney studied ceramics at Bath School of Art and Design, following his career as a furniture designer. He went on to teach at City of Bath College and has recently been selected by the Crafts Council for their ‘Hothouse’ programme. He exhibits regularly in London and was recently awarded the ‘Best Ceramics’ prize at the Contemporary Craft Festival. Working in bone china and porcelain, the geometric and faceted forms are left unglazed, emphasising the translucent white surfaces that are animated by light and shade, creating a sense of movement.