Phillip King

About

Steeped in both ancient tradition and a modernist clarity, these new works reveal the investigations of a peerless sculptor who continues to challenge the limits of his materials.

At 11 Duke Street St James’s a crowd of solemn, statuesque, unglazed ceramic vessels populate the gallery spaces. From domestic to monumental in scale these works seem to suggest a utilitarian purpose, though each is sliced through in some way revealing their hidden volume. These holes and voids chime with King’s persistent desire to literally and metaphorically cut open his work (e.g. Rosebud, 1962 and Through, 1965), to look inside and understand better their density. Part Brancusian totems and part abstract figures, King sets off echoes within the works, repeating and mutating shapes and gestures throughout the group.

At 3 Duke Street St James’s King will show new work that extend his fascination with colour and volume. Colour Me Pink, 2017, a large geometric form in bright blues and pinks, has been perforated, almost obliterated, with dozens of large cylindrical holes that bisect the volume of the sculpture. The vibrant and competing colours of the work also combine with the brightly coloured walls of the gallery, visible around, but also through its perforations. King revels in extending the limits of sculpture as a definite object, creating a complete environment in which the object and viewer co-exist.