Antony Gormley RA, CLAY AND THE COLLECTIVE BODY,

Talk

Sculpture as social practice: what is sculpture good for?

Where language ends: Antony Gormley’s discourse series

Wednesday 30 October 2019 6.30 - 7.45pm

The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts

£15, £9

Booking opens to Friends of the RA at 10am on Friday 6 September 2019. Booking opens to the public at 10am on Tuesday 10 September 2019.

Antony Gormley

Go to the exhibition

Generously supported by

Join our panel as they debate the relevance and role of sculpture in society today.

Our panel, chaired by art critic, writer & curator, Sacha Craddock, and including Alistair Hudson, Director of the Whitworth and Mariam Zulfiqar, Deputy Director and Chief Curator at UP Projects, questions where sculpture is best exhibited and what impact sculptures have on the spaces they are presented in. Do sculptures act as catalysts for social change and can people connect better with a place when it contains a work of art?

Taking into consideration the roles of communities and self-identity, we look at the power of sculpture to transform a site into a purposeful place and to connect its viewers.

Alistair Hudson is Director of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery. He was previously Director of Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and Deputy Director of Grizedale Arts, which gained critical acclaim for its radical approaches to working with artists and communities, based on the idea that art should be useful and not just an object of contemplation.

Mariam Zulfiqar is Deputy Director and Chief Curator at UP Projects. Mariam's curatorial and research interests include cultural policy, interdisciplinary collaboration, moving image, art in the public domain, discourses around public spaces and the history of ideas.

Sacha Craddock (chair) is an independent curator, critic, writer and art advisor. Her commitment to contemporary art encompasses curating, organising, promotion, education, critical writing, and creating new networks designed to bring artists and audiences together.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Oscar Murillo and Helen Pheby will no longer be taking part in this panel.

£15, £9

Booking opens to Friends of the RA at 10am on Friday 6 September 2019. Booking opens to the public at 10am on Tuesday 10 September 2019.

Antony Gormley

Go to the exhibition

Generously supported by

Where language ends: Antony Gormley’s discourse series

In a conversation between the artist and the late art historian, Ernst Gombrich, Gormley alluded to the fact that he wanted his work to start “where language ends”.

Inspired by the intimate conversations held by Antony Gormley in his studio with guests from a range of disciplines, this series of events invites you to unpick and consider the wide-ranging themes that have featured within his practice.

Find out more