A serendipitous by-product of using oxidised iron across a cycle of drawings, I’ve been enjoying the potential of cut and collaged rusted papers which may suggest new form relationships for sculptures. Most of these collages were carefully glued down from randomly “thrown” compositions.
Midway through this modular design project in Aluminium, a space filling asymmetrical assembly of Octahedra and Cuboctahedra – known by Buckminster Fuller as the Dymaxion. It developed from a cancelled architectural commission for a modular storage system, my initial designs seemed too good to waste so I decided to build one. This will be finished in mirror polish, it contains four cuboid storage voids behind doors, it’s triangulated geometry means everything has to be focused around a series of complex bespoke corner joints I hand form and rivet.
The newest sculpture from the Grok series (Disinto) is now on exhibition at the 32nd CGP Open in Southwark until the 24th July, this show is a longstanding event for London’s artists from all disciplines.
No:8 “Disinto” is very much hot off the welding bench and straight in to the public domain.
Over the summer the Arikui site is going to have a few structural changes, it’s scary how quickly we have moved on from it’s beginning just three years ago, so more artwork from the past year is to be added and Occam’s Razor will slice through text content – as it should – let’s get with the visual spatial phenomena!
In the spirit of ‘habit changing’ in the studio I have kicked off the new year by making myself ‘uncomfortable’ eschewing drawing, planning, measuring and high finish in new materials for speed and intuition across mixed media.
Interesting, challenging and quite fun, not sure what will come out of this exercise yet, but then that is the point!
My concerns are that ‘mixed media’ is such a contemporary commonplace, it has a lot of potential narrative baggage which I dislike, for good or ill my impulse is always to set off away from the herd.
As a result I have kept away from assembling junk and scraps since the early ’90s when simple poverty dictated material choice.
However, the aim is that the focus on the immediate during the making act will feedback into future work in a positive way.
January yielded No:1 “The Real Inspector Hound”
The Spon! boys have uploaded some nice pictures of folks at the Zou Gallery PV last May taken by Moeko Sawada
Here: Arikui @ Zou Gallery
The run-up to Christmas and the New Year saw the successful completion and installation of another domestic steel commission.
Combined firewood storage and display surfaces for a ceramic collection, all in welded and folded steel plate with a very striking machine aesthetic. Quite a technical and physical challenge in my small workshop, I had to re-enforce the wall to build it, but a very satisfying consistency across multiple units, great detailing and finish.
Finished woodstore in studio
I’ll be kicking off the New Year by exhibiting a couple of prints at the BAR Gallery, 4-5 Queens Parade, Walm Lane, London NW2 5HT
Along with working my way through the Tekton series of sculptures over the past year I have also been creating some custom steel objects to commission. The first of these; a steel fire fender, is now installed with a very happy client and a happy maker too, subsequently the second is now under way. Functional objects in conception, but the symbiotic relationship with my recent artwork is evident in the play of form and counter form, meticulous process and attention to edge detail. A very enjoyable job all round, interpreting and creating a domestic steel piece in close dialogue with a bold, imaginative client.
Finished fire fender commission in studio
SPON!
I’ve just installed a group of sculpture and prints at SPON!
Gallery is at ZOU 17 Endell St. Covent Garden WC2
The show runs all week from 20th -25th May.
The guys from SPON! have been showcasing a range of art, design and fashion with a particular style.
Check out the SPON! here http://spon.biz
We have our annual ‘Open Studio’ event this month and our artist’s studios are open to the public this weekend. You can see us and our artwork in our natural habitat!
ACAVA Artists ‘Open Studios’ 5/6 October 2013
http://www.acava.org/news/acava-open-studios-20th-september-27th-october-2013
‘Dandyhorse’ ,’Blicero’, ‘Ooboo’ ready to go.
After a complex construction over the past month ‘Dandyhorse’ is now complete, it looks alive wandering across the studio floor…waiting along with ‘Blicero’ for it’s patina, on to the next one now: ‘Ooboo’
Since moving from Cell in Dalston to here end of last year that’s three new pieces – not too bad.
Blicero and Dandyhorse in studio
Hot off the bench; latest sculpture ‘Texas’ looks very good, full of movement, 3mm steel brazed together with silver then zinc passivated – very interesting finish brings out the edges in an iridescent way.
Thinking to append the title ‘Texas – Instrument’ as the new composition seems to have a instrumental/tool quality.
Thanks to all who attended our PV at Push107 last Thursday night.
A very good turnout at our ‘pop-up’ gallery in Marylebone, 107 Gloucester Place.
Push sculpture collective is gathering momentum indeed!
For those who missed it you can still come along this Saturday 23rd 12-4pm.
http://push107.blogspot.co.uk/p/index.html
Sculpture production grows apace in the Arikui studio. Drawing after drawing, preparation, preparation…the months of groundwork are worth it as the series fit together perfectly. A busy day TIG welding up ‘Dandyhorse’ and all is going to plan, I moved a few parts around since the maquette and it’s got loads of energy.
Two new sculptures on the way!
It’s all happening in the studio this year with sculpture construction full steam ahead.
The second of the three newest sculptures “Blicero” is now welded up and all filed ready for it’s patina.
This will need a blast clean, then I’ll torch it, patinate it with HCl, then an alkaline, a wash, heat again and oil to give a very even ‘chocolate’ finish.
I have uploaded a little video of making this sculpture to give an insight into some of my techniques at Arikui.
Also the small sculpture from the “Texas” print is now silver brazed too, this underwent radical changes from the original maquette and is all the better for it. I have decided to explore a zinc coating for this one for the industrial flavour.
Welcome,
and Hello World!
The new Arikui website is up and running.
From now on all my sculpture and graphic art projects in series form will be collected and curated here under the Arikui moniker.
Why you may ask?
It gives the serial artwork a distinct identity from the many other types of artwork I make in the studio and a part of my interest in making sculpture is the status of art objects as visual tools, hence use of an industrial orientated aesthetic in the artwork processes, materials, Arikui site and machine plates etc…
And the Arikui?
Arikui means ‘anteater’ in Japanese, the giant anteater is an interesting beast, individualistic, skilled and possibly eccentric, but tenacious free-range investigator of his chosen territory – a suitable avatar then.
Andrew Revell
