In recent years I've become more interested in public art and public sculptures, thinking about the artists and how their work came to be located in our city. Where galleries require some intention to step through the door, work on the streets has an altogether different effect, the location playing an important role and the element of suprise when stumbling upon a piece of art in the public realm. But what effect does this have on the artist, does the environment play a role in the execution of the work and should it be produced with an audience in mind?
These questions and more were recently answered by Scottish sculptor Kenny Hunter who's show 'Sculpture Court' is currently on at Aberdeen Art Gallery. Although the name was familiar I was relatively oblivious to Kenny's work although its maybe fairer to say I was oblivious to the artist responsible for these well known sculptures like 'Youth with Split Apple' located in Old Aberdeen or the iconic 'Feedback Loop' which has been in the art galleries collection since 2004. I was lucky to meet Kenny while he worked on a new print at Peacock Visual Art in the run up to his new show opening where a small audience heard first hand about the development of his artistic practice.
Organised by the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery and David from Peacocks, the talk saw Kenny speak about not only his sculpture practice but also about the importance of print, an often understated but important aspect of his creative output. With a love of literature and poetry Kenny has created a nice body of text based pieces, partly inspired by his time spent in NYC in the late 90's where the emerging street art scene grabbed his attention and led to his own experiments with street art away from his sculpture work but still employing the same ethos. In 2006 Kenny said of his prints "By stacking and compressing the letters within their composition I hoped to suggest city centre architecture and how it feels to be surrounded by it". As with his sculptures Kenny takes 2D images and employs 3 dimensional sensibilities with bold colour choices adding to the dynamic effect of the work. You can check out more of his prints here.
Kenny spoke in depth about the intention of his work and the consideration of the viewer and the unwilling participants who might have to live with his sculptures. Where artist's are usually happy to impose their vision onto the public via an exhibition of works crafted behind closed doors, these public works have a different tact and perhaps can only truly work when the artist's ego is removed, allowing the work to become embedded into the landscape it inhabits whether in the gallery or in the public realm, whether pasted onto a wall or cast in iron.
Indeed Kenny's talk highlighted his dedication to the art and how present he is within it. I found this point important in the context of sculpture in Aberdeen where we have a vast amount of public works on display both in the city center and at Hazelhead park. Many of these works feel nostalgic or display dated futuristic ideas which I personally love but Kenny's work feels incredibly relevant, even older pieces like 'Feedback Loop' seeming to keep their edge 20 years on. It's contemporary without being over indulgent and brings a new life to the Art Galleries sculpture court. It's a nice update, linking Kenny's work to the figurative sculptures of old which once loomed large over the space. The contrast is vast, looking at the photographs of the vintage sculpture court, the space seems stark and lifeless (check it here) compared to Kenny's show with it's burst of colour and soft edges. Looking at the images of old I can hear the old gallery staff shouting at patrons for getting too close to the marble statues!
The new exhibition aptly takes its name from the newly reinstated 'Sculpture Court' but gives it a contemporary twist with stunning works like Horse & Rider (Ancient Model) and Universal Monument (To A Better World That Never Showed Up) on display alongside works like Father of Dread, a sectional nose that allows the viewer to see behind the sculpture making process as does Elephant (Divided) complete with the original lifting hooks and rough seams. This piece is the original fibreglass model used to cast an iron copy which is located in Bellahouston park in Glasgow. Giant banners also hang from the balconies above declaring Clear History & What The Thunder Said, a line from The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot. One speaks of the power of nature and the fleeting moments we have compared to its earth shattering power while the bold declaration Clear History brings me back to days of old scrabbling to delete my internet browsing history on the shared family computer!
The final work brings us back to the Peacocks print studio where David & Kenny showed off the various iterations of his latest print, Faith In Flux, a bigger version of which can be seen adorning the gallery wall. Even this piece harks back to his 2005 show in New York but as Kenny has proven he not only straddles the line of creating in the contemporary field but can reimagine old ideas and bring them firmly into the here & now, recontextualizing but still retaining a sharp sense of wit and playfulness. Collaboration is also important, from the works being produced with Peacocks to the interactions between viewer and sculpture, Kenny's work not only invites us into his world but allows us to be willing participants in it. He's certainly made me a convert to the Cult of Kenny Hunter!
'Sculpture Court' continues at Aberdeen Art Gallery until the 30th of October so check it out. You can read the online brochure for the exhibition here and check out the beautiful 'Faith In Flux' prints which are available here. Be sure to check out more of Kennys work via his website here.
