February 2014
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february 2014 BILL WOODROW, B.1948 In conjunction with the major retrospective of his work currently on view at the Royal Academy in London, this month’s profile focuses on the work of British artist Bill Woodrow. Born in 1948, Woodrow burst onto the international contemporary art scene in the late 70s and 80s as part of the group now known as the ‘New British Sculpture Group’, alongside Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley, Richard Deacon and Tony Cragg. Although largely known for his large-scale sculpture, Woodrow is unfazed by the challenges of creating functional art. Like Kapoor and Gormley, he has also turned his creative mind to wearable sculpture. 1 2 3 ‘Single Canoe (Fig 1)’ and ‘Double Canoe’ (Fig 2) share the preoccupations of Woodrow’s most recent work, which explores and examines landscape. ‘Black and White 1, 2012’ (fig 3) And ‘Victoria Amizonicanaconda’’ (Fig 4) consider civilisations and their practices as part of their natural environment. Perhaps reflecting the intimacy of jewellery, the present project presents a more personal and human exploration of the theme than that found in Woodrow’s large-scale work. 4 Viewed from a distance ‘Double Canoe’ appears as an abstract mélange of colour and texture. It is only on closer inspection that the viewer can read the image as representational: a solitary figure emerges, floating in a canoe devoid of paddles on silver water, framed by mountains. It is a prospect of serene human contemplation, heightened by the balance of the composition. Grounded in the natural world, where the figure’s context and reflection are as important as the figure itself, the piece invites a personal reflection on the natural world and our place within it. At the same time ‘Double Canoe’ explores the problems posed by depicting landscape in sculpture. Woodrow uses ‘reflection’ as a vehicle with which to do this: ordinarily a reflection presents the three-dimensional world in two-dimensional form. In the present piece, Woodrow flips this notion on its head, using a solid three-dimensional form to represent something often ephemeral and always two-dimensional. Evocative, innovative, intimate and engaging the project is a striking reminder of the emotive potential of wearable sculpture. 1 2 Single Canoe, 2012 Double Canoe, 2012 silver and blackened silver silver, blackened silver and rose gold diameter: 25 × 14cm 23 × 13.5 × 3cm edition of 36 plus 1 artist’s proof edition of 8 plus 4 artist’s proofs Courtesy of Bill Woodrow Courtesy of Bill Woodrow 3 4 Black and White 1, 2012 Victoria Amazonicanaconda, 2011 Bronze, rubber sheet, paint Bronze 34 × 70 × 55cm 29 × 71 × 90cm Unique Unique Courtesy of Bill Woodrow Courtesy of Bill Woodrow Bill Woodrow’s jewellery is currently on display at Louisa Guinness Gallery 45 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2YN We are open from 10am – 6pm from Monday to Friday cecily motley t: 0207 494 4664 www.louisaguinnessgallery.com.