Artists’ sketches and interviews give unique insight into sculpture exhibition

LEICESTER.- Art lovers can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the University of Leicester’s sculpture exhibition through a collection of sketches and interviews.

Drawings by the artists whose work is featured in the University’s Sculpture in the Garden exhibition are currently on show at Embrace Arts until Friday 30 August – along with a short film featuring interviews with the sculptors.

The sketches and video give a unique perspective on the thoughts and techniques behind the sculptures featured in “A Change of Heart”, currently on show at the University’s Harold Martin Botanic Garden.

Ten of the 20 artists featured in this year’s summer exhibition have provided drawings – both sketches of the featured sculptures and other work – which reveal some of the approaches and intentions behind the artists’ work.

Artist James Capper with Tread Toe in operation

The pieces are being exhibited throughout August at Embrace Arts, the University of Leicester’s arts centre, along with a film containing interviews with many of the artists.

The half-hour video includes thoughts from sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff who curated this year’s exhibition, titled “A Change of Heart”, and many of the sculptors featured in the show – including Nick Turvey, Anna Sikorska and Liane Lang.

The video was made by a production team consisting of film makers Alex Abdolwahabi, Johannes Hargreaves and Julian D’Silva – and features music played by Mariko Terashi.

Curator Almuth Tebbenhoff said: “This is a great opportunity to find out some of the creative secrets behind the sculptures – often people see a work of art and don’t know what to make of it. They feel attracted to it but don’t know why.

“Broadly speaking I want people to get familiar with art because it will enrich their lives – and the drawings and video interviews may help people understand the artist’s way of thinking.

“We have now got a holistic, multi-layered approach to seeing the ‘A Change of Heart’ Exhibition. I think it is tremendously exciting.

“If you manage to see the exhibition in the Botanical Garden – and I very much hope that you do – you can follow the connections that link two-dimensional ideas and their sculptures. You can also make a guess as to which came first: the drawing or the sculpture.”

The drawing exhibition features pieces available to buy for as little as £100. In addition, Embrace Arts operates an Own Art scheme – allowing people to buy pieces of art on interest-free credit in ten monthly instalments.

This means someone could pay a very small amount on a monthly basis and end up owning an original piece of artwork from the show in less than a year.

The drawings and video can be seen at Embrace Arts, Lancaster Road, until the end of August.

The University’s sculpture exhibition “A Change of Heart” showcases a dynamic range of sculptures at the Harold Martin Botanic Garden, Oadby, over the summer.

It features work by 20 artists, including David Worthington, former Vice-President of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, Marigold Hodgkinson and William Pye.

The exhibition will be open until Sunday, October 27, and is open seven days a week, 10.00am to 4.00pm, with free entry except on special event days.