Sculptures in the Landscape Exhibition: April – November 2024
It was such a pleasure to return to the breathtaking Himalayan Sculpture Garden in Ripon recently to deinstall Vertebreath—part of their inaugural summer exhibition. Over seven months in the wild, it was fascinating to see how the dark patination had faded, matured by the elements, birds & trees in this remarkable setting.
Such a unique space, where art and nature coexist, provided a beautiful home for the piece over the season. A huge thank you to the team for creating such a welcoming and inspiring environment.
>> The Vertebreath 1st Edition has now sold >> Get in touch to order an edition
Artwork: Vertebreath (2023)
Materials: Painted, Weathered Steel
Size: 86cm (H) x 810cm (W) x 40cm (D)
Price Range: £4k-£7k (Made to order)
Location: Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park, Ripon, Yorkshire, UK
Great Yarmouth Commission / Vortebreath Progress / October 2024
It has been a busy few months here at Sapien. With multiple projects coming to completion we wanted to share a behind the scenes update of our latest public artwork.
The large Corten steel sculpture is almost complete and due to be transported to Great Yarmouth over the coming weeks. The sculpture was designed to capture the rampant spirit of water, wind and renewable energy. The name stitches two words together: ‘Vortex’ and ‘breath’ symbolising the process of converting air into living energy. The energy industry plays a vital role in the local economy with offshore wind farms replacing the historic fishing industry, and fast becoming a key feature of the Yarmouth landscape.
>> Commission Enquiries >> Get in touch
Community Engagement Workshops for Great Yarmouth Public Art Commission / July 2024
Back in July, I found myself immersed in the coastal charm of Great Yarmouth, where I'm crafting a site-specific Corten sculpture for a new town centre sculpture trail. This visit was not only a key moment in the project but also a great opportunity to connect with the place and it’s people. While there, I conducted creative mindfulness workshops at the wonderful East Norfolk Sixth Form College, as part of my community engagement commitment.
The workshops utilised my Sapien Method format - a journey that begins with a guided meditation and flows into mindful mark-making, capturing memories & echoes of place on paper. We then explored prompts and questions to elicit words associated with the seaside town. These insights were then woven into a poem, with semi-hidden text patterns subtly embedded into the final sculpture design. This layer of intrigue invites curiosity, grounding the sculpture in the spirit of its coastal surroundings.
Fabrication starts in September. Looking forward to sharing more as the artwork twists and leaps to life.
>> Commission Enquiries >> Get in touch
Empty-ruption of Thought I & II / June 2024
Titled ‘Empty-ruptions’ these are the first, large pair of editions in a series of new works using meditation as a core methodology to make art.
The process acts as a healing ritual for suppressed energy, channelling the explosiveness of thoughts as they arise in emptiness. It also embodies the spirit of my sculpture studio by repurposing redundant steel fragments as stamping and drawing tools, used in conjunction with pencils and ink pens. Additionally, leftover stain, pigment powder, and a flame torch are used to introduce areas of volatility and shadow.
Each edition is 80 cm in height x 60 cm in width, housed in an Oak frame. This is a special edition of 2 unique works - signed and dated with secret, spontaneous words written on the reverse to elevate their authenticity.
EMPTY-RUPTION OF THOUGHT I & II
Pencil & Mixed Media on 300 gsm Paper, 2024
Size: 60 x 80 cm (Oak Framed)
Price: £447 each
>> Sales Enquiries >> Get in Touch
Sculptures in the Landscape Exhibition: 18th April – 3rd November 2024
Sapien was selected by the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park to take part in their upcoming summer exhibition, titled Sculptures in the Landscape. This is the park’s first temporary exhibition with 34 sculptors from across the UK, showing 62 pieces sited alongside a permanent collection of 90 mixed media pieces - all set within 45 acres of beautifully planted woodland gardens, lakes and an arboretum.
Vertebreath sits at the top entrance, welcoming visitors as they spiral down into the magical valley & sculpture park below. The piece was partly inspired by the Japanese tradition of Wabi-Sabi, making this a match made in heaven.
>> All 62 artworks are available to purchase in person or online via their website. >> Exhibition runs from 18th April - 3rd November 2024. Make an Enquiry
Artwork: Vertebreath (2023)
Materials: Painted, Weathered Steel
Size: 86cm (H) x 810cm (W) x 40cm (D)
Price Range: £5k-£10k
Location: Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park, Ripon, Yorkshire, UK
Decolonial Memorial / International Public Art Competition & Exhibition 26th April – 12th May 2024
Sapien was a finalist for the Decolonial Memorial, a monumental €750,000 commission set by the Berlin Global Village. The upcoming exhibition will present all finalist submissions alongside the winning design proposal to the public in Berlin.
Inspired by ancient Mandalas and African weaving, my landmark sculpture concept threaded hidden poems to create resilient inner-structures. The design (pictured above) was selected from over 300 international applications to take part in the 2nd phase of the project. 20 global artists and collectives were shortlisted & paid to develop the initial concepts into full, detailed proposals and manufacturing plans.
The Afro-Mandala proposal will be on display alongside the 20 finalists and winning design from 26th April to 12th May 2024 at Museum Neukölln, Berlin which includes a digital exhibition on their website.
>> Meet the 20 finalists >> Visit the online exhibition
>> Commission Enquiries >> Get in touch
Aesthetica Art Prize Long-list & Group Exhibition / Feb-April 2024
Sapien was long-listed for the prestigious Aesthetica Art Prize two years running (2023 & 2024). 100 long-listed and 20 shortlisted, contemporary artists were selected from over 3000 international entries to take part in the annual group exhibition at the York Art Gallery which included a two day symposium and double page spread in the Future Now anthology.
I had a wonderful couple of days in York celebrating the annual Art Prize. Such an inspirational exhibition and enlightening 2 day symposium of talks, networking and catching up with industry friends. A must-see show if you're in the area.
>> The Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition runs between 16 February and 21 April 2024 at York Art Gallery. >> See profile on the Aesthetica Website
Great Yarmouth Public Art Commission / March 2024
Delighted to announce Sapien has been commissioned for Great Yarmouth’s exciting new public art trail. Eleven pieces of art have been commissioned by Great Yarmouth Borough Council to create a major new cultural trail for the town, focusing on the themes of maritime and medieval history, arts heritage, seaside, transport and energy - to create a rich and involving experience for locals and visitors.
The large Corten steel sculpture titled: Vortebreath (pictured above) was selected for capturing the rampant spirit of nature and renewable energy. The name stitches two words together: ‘Vortex’ and ‘breath’ symbolising the process of converting air into living energy. The energy industry plays a vital role in the local economy with offshore wind farms replacing the historic fishing industry, and fast becoming a key feature of the Yarmouth landscape.
Looking forward to sharing more as the project develops!
>> Commission Enquiries >> Get in touch
Royal Society of Sculptors Membership (MRSS)
Delighted and proud to announce Sapien's recent acceptance into the prestigious Royal Society of Sculptors. The Royal Society of Sculptors was founded more than 100 years ago and aims to champion contemporary sculpture and the artists who create it.
It’s such a massive honour to be alongside so many prominent international artists. Well-known historic members have included Sir George Frampton, William Reid Dick, Gibert Bayes, Feodora Gleichen, Franta Belsky, and Edward Bainbridge Copnall with current contemporary members inc. Alex Chinneck, Halima Cassell, Gerry Judah, Nick Hornby to name a few.
>> See Sapien's profile on the RSS website
Angel of the North Visit / February 2024
I’ve dreamt of visiting Gormley’s monumental Angel of the North for years. The scale and presence of this famous Corten steel sculpture are mind blowing, the proportions really mess with your head. It stands at 20 metres tall but it’s wingspan is a tremendous 53 metres wide - this totally camouflages how tall it is.
It felt fitting to stop bye on route to a pretty epic public art interview in Scotland, not quite on the same scale as this but still a monumental commission if selected. Hopefully some of the angel's rusty magic will rub off.
I didn’t want to leave!
Art in Manufacturing Commission & Residency / Festival: 8th & 9th July 2023, Blackburn
Wave Sweeper is a metal sculpture, specially commissioned by the National Festival of Making as part of their headline commissioning programme - Art in Manufacturing.
Inspired by folkloric stories unearthed during my recent residency with SWS UK (manufacturer of security shutters) the piece is an expression of the manufacturer’s place in rural Lancashire with its close proximity to the river Lune and Irish sea.
Manannán (son of the sea), is a warrior king of the Otherworld in Irish and Manx mythology. He is said to own a self-navigating boat named Sguaba Tuinne ("Wave-sweeper") He sometimes visits the land of the living - his movement is compared to the wind taking the form of a thundering wheel rolling across the landscape.
New Edition Release: Vertebreath
Inspired by the Japanese tradition of Wabi-sabi, Vertebreath is an abstract steel sculpture, painstaking hand crafted from 240 individual components meticulously welding together here in the studio. The piece is finished with a labour intensive patination process to give a unique, dark finish. Each of the 24 blades are punctuated with tiny holes allowing air to move through the artwork as it leaps and twists to life. The holes read 'IN' & 'EX' to symbolise the life giving inhale-exhale exchange.
Artwork: Vertebreath (2023)
Materials: Painted, Weathered Steel
Size: 86cm (H) x 810cm (W) x 40cm (D)
Price Range: £4k-£7k
>> Sales Enquiries >> Make an Enquiry
Holes in an Expanding Mind, Solo Exhibition: April 2023, Yorkshire Artspace.
Holes in an Expanding Mind: Sapien's first major solo exhibition, showed new abstract steel sculptures embedded with poem fragments, alongside older works - reflecting on a challenging journey of illness & self transformation. The sculptures expose boundary lines between opposing elements: joy & suffering, mind and matter, nature and machinery, steel and spirituality.
With thanks to Arts Council England.
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