How is it that one small island in the Outer Hebrides should draw so many artists and have such a profound impact on three sculptors – Julie Brook, Steve Dilworth and Angela Palmer? This exhibition will consider the ways in which the island's ancient materiality, elemental force and enduring mystery has influenced the work of these three artists.
Julie Brook (b.1961) is a British artist who for thirty years has roamed, lived and worked in a succession of uninhabited and remote landscapes in Northwest Scotland (and beyond). Her sculptural work is often transient in nature, inspired by and made from the materials of the landscape itself. For Steve Dilworth (b. 1949), the Isle of Harris has been home for over forty years. He has both a deep respect for the landscape as well as recognising the absurdity of his position there – as writer Ian Sinclair has put it in a previous catalogue essay, ‘of man trying to live, play at domesticity, in these magnificent, pre-human places’. Angela Palmer (b. 1957) explores time through material history, led by her interest in the stories stones can tell and her curiosity for what lies beneath the surface. Different World will present a selection of sculptures by Palmer comprised of 2.5-billion-year-old White Anorthosite rock which she acquired from a disused quarry on the Isle of Harris after a six-year search.
The title for this exhibition is taken from a poem by Kathleen Jamie titled The Glen, from her 2015 collection of poems, Bonniest Companie. In this poem, the speaker quietly appreciates a Scottish glen on an April morning, conscious of their position as a temporary human observer of the landscape.
Three exciting events featuring Julie Brook are coming up at Kings Place during this exhibition's run:
16 March: Screening of Stuff the World is Made of followed by a Q&A with Steve Dilworth at Finsbury Park Picturehouse. Book tickets here.
19 March: Screening of Tracing Light by Thomas Riedelsheimer followed by a Q&A with Julie Brook and Dr James Fox. Book tickets here.
23 April: Celebrating the Earth - an evening of art, music and poetry with Julie Brook, Rachel Portman and Nick Drake. Book tickets here.
The private view for this exhibition is kindly sponsored by Isle of Harris Distillery.
