artupdate.com

 6 September – 6 October 2010

 Purdy Hicks Gallery and Hopton’s Almshouses

 Jerwood Space

 Dulwich Picture Gallery

 Purdy Hicks Gallery is delighted to announce the forthcoming exhibition of new sculpture and works on paper by Peter Randall Page.  

Randall-Page’s intense and sustained fascination with the natural world has culminated in the creation of sculptures that explore the complex relationship between geometry and biology.  His practice has always been informed and inspired by the study of organic form and its subjective impact on our emotions.

He is best known for works in stone, often carving naturally eroded glacial boulders with complex geometric structures in which the geometry yields to the random shape of the stone.

In recent years his work has become increasingly concerned with the underlying principles determining growth and the forms it produces.  In his words, `geometry is the theme on which nature plays her infinite variations, fundamental mathematical principles can be seen as a kind of pattern book which combined with random variation, results in a seemingly infinite variety of complex and sophisticated forms.

Following on from his recent successful exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park , which saw record attendances, this exhibition will be the first to focus predominantly upon wall pieces as well as displaying new works in fired clay. The wall pieces continue to explore themes of natural pattern and symmetry but take as their inspiration the human propensity for pattern recognition.  In 2006 Randall-Page was commissioned to make a work for the Psychology Department of Cardiff University and subsequently he has created a series of new works which explore cognition and the human mind, intricately sculpted arrangements that conjures thoughts of brain scans and Rorschach inkblots.

Septmber will also see the placing in London of several other works by Peter Randall- Page:

Purdy Hicks Gallery will be collaborating with the Hopton’s Almshouses(26 almshouses for 'poor decayed men' of the Parish erected in 1746-9 and opened in 1752).

This unique cluster of buildings next to Purdy Hicks will display two major works in their beautiful gardens.  As green space becomes ever more a rarity within the City, this promises to be a superb opportunity to view Randall-Page’s work in unique surroundings which compliment its visual themes

The Jerwood Space on nearby Union Street will be showing in their outdoor space a group of new works, sculpted from rare pink multi figured Rosso Luana Marble.  Inside the Jerwood Space Peter Randall-Page will be showing Wing – a 6 metre long ceramic work.

Dulwich Picture Gallerywill begin their 2011 bicentenary celebrations in September 2010 with the installation of its first ever acquisition of a piece of contemporary sculpture: Walking the Dog.  This three-part work is influenced by Sir John Soane’s ‘running dog’ pattern visible on the external walls of the Gallery.  The work has been purchased and presented to the Gallery by The Art Fund in honour of Dulwich’s bicentenary.

During the past 25 years Peter Randall-Page has gained an international reputation through his sculpture, drawings and prints.  He has undertaken numerous large scale commissions and exhibited widely.  His work is held in public and private collections throughout the world.  A selection of his public sculptures can be found in many urban and rural locations throughout the UK and he is represented in the permanent collections of the Tate Gallery and the British Museum amongst others.

As a member of the design team for the Education Resource Centre (The Core) at the Eden Project in Cornwall , Randall-Page influenced the overall design of the building incorporating an enormous 70 tonne granite sculpture (Seed) in a specially designed chamber at its heart.

www.purdyhicks.com