Deformed / Transformed: John Pickering & Rebecca Ivatts

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Hands disfigured by rheumatoid arthritis depicted on vast canvases; mathematical equations transformed into spatial sculptures waiting to be inhabited by our imaginations: yet these impossibly gnarled hands belong to the sculptor himself. This is the astonishing truth behind the unique collaboration between emerging painter, Rebecca Ivatts, and veteran sculptor, John Pickering. John Pickering has been described as a modern-day alchemist who hews his sculptures from pure mathematical principles. From the large body of algebra available to the lover of visual maths, he uses the geometrical Principle of Inversion to generate numerical sequences and cast their form in space. As the form unfolds, it invites us to explore surfaces as sculpture, and to interpret volumes and spaces as architecture. However, Pickering's small, finely wrought sculptures are not just beautiful objects in themselves. They celebrate the power of the human spirit to transcend the pain of chronic rheumatoid arthritis. The deformity of his hands is the focus of Rebecca Ivatts´ large oils whose bold colours and enlivened forms are a beautiful and poignant counterpoint to the awe-inspiring intricacy and precision of Pickering's sculptures. In this exhibition, the latter are movingly juxtaposed with the hands that created them. Both media are imbued with the same intensity and love of sculptural form.