"I think we have a much closer connection with other living things, both flora and fauna, than we realise. We are all part of the same biological system and my desire is not only to know this intellectually but to feel it in my bones. The blurring of boundaries between zoology and botany in my work is, in some ways, an expression of this desire to lose a sense of alienation from the rest of the natural world and to experience the reality of its intimacy... It is obviously a deliberate choice on my part to carve --I have just found for me that carving is an extremely good way of dealing with subtlety, with striking a chord and achieving a kind of resonance through a subtle control of form. My work is both a celebration of the natural world and an exploration of its expressive potential - a subjective celebration of the underlying energy behind everything that lives and grows" - Peter Randall-Page.
I started the year on this platform with a visit to a great exhibition of Lynn Chadwick's sculpture at Pangolin London (here), and it seems similarly fitting and appropriate to close the circle of 2002 by ending the year with a visit to another fantastic exhibition at the very same venue this time showcasing the sculpture of Peter Randall-Page. I'd been really impressed by some small sculptures by Randall-Page at yet another Pangolin exhibition I'd visited in March (here), so it was great to immerse myself in this one-man retrospective exhibition showcasing every aspect of his work from all periods of his career. There are several pieces which have never been exhibited in the capital before such as a trio of large stone sculptures, and a magnificent large screen (detail above top), composed of 60 of his lovely, textural calligraphic drawings which sinuously writhe and meander across the screens surface. Smaller in scale but just as impactful are his similar Evolution series of prints again based on Rorschach patterns which feature in the gallery windows. They are a codex script creating their own arcane, opaque language. The artist draws heavily from nature - natural plant and animal forms which he translates into series of prints and small sculptural forms. A quirky surprise here were the ceramic terracotta forms of Randall-Page's Becoming series resembling the plump carcasses of chickens made ready for the oven. Pattern features quite heavily in his work giving pleasing surface decoration to both the prints and sculptures too. Personal favourites which I just wanted to hold are the beautifully tactile large stones and pebbles onto whose surface he carves complementary rhythmic designs which could have been created by earlier civilisations. Indeed the artist has made visits to an island on Lake Victoria to study the prehistoric art native to the area. The incised patterns of the lines on pieces such as Lunula Stone III seem to give these pebbles and stones life, making them sing with energy. I found this a particularly inspiring exhibition with which to see out 2022 and look forward to Pangolin's exhibition schedule for 2023.
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