Max Hymes// New Sculptures

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www.bearspace.co.uk

BEARSPACE is proud to present the artist & sculptor Max Hymes in his first solo exhibition in London, following his successful solo exhibition in the 'Glasgow Sculpture Studio,' in May 2007. Hymes lives and works in the Hackney area of East London and has a unique, historically based yet fresh take on the 'Object D'Art.'

Hymes sculptures are a montage of materials, design and objects. The work has a collected feel, standing as totems to diverse civilastions, they are stacked, often mounted on plinths or standing in installation with mirrors and screens. An array of diverse and eclectic materials sit together. Different types of wood have been crafted, fine beading is painstakingly applied, fine pieces of gold and silver metals boarder areas, often creating tescilised pattern work. Glittering pumpkins stand aloft beautifully created wooden objects, these sculptures stand as a tribute to craftsmanship and the obsessive hand of the artist.

Although not a direct consideration in making this work, strong parallels can be made between the 18th Century arts and craft movement and the work of Max Hymes. Historically the arts and crafts movement came about as a reaction against industrialisation, using local sources to make embellished every day objects. In the same way Max Hymes' elaborate sculptures use design elements to create a non-functional, individually crafted and bizaar objects of art. As well as Victorian craft, an element of kitsch can also be found in these sculptural works. The humble pineapple, once a sign of 'the exotic,' the kitsch bar-like resemblance of beach panelling inlaid with gold, harks back to an eara of cocktails and canapés. Hymes work pays homage to both ages where a new aesthetic of art was being formed at a time when industrialism was reaching new heights with the Victorian times and post-war Britain.

Make no mistake, these works of art have a distinctly contemporary outlook. Ours is a wealthy age, we wish to surround ourselves with the luxuries of 'the arts,' yet the beckoning attraction of mass produced and throw-away pieces of design and unlimited art prints is strong. Mass production produces a lack of quality and as artists are drawn towards looking to nature as inspiration, a reaction against industrialisation is a natural cycle. Luxury, design and craftsmanship may again filter into the main stream just as the arts and crafts movement did. It is on the artist to lead these movements, and in Max Hymes work is the aesthetic that could prove to be an important indicator of our time.