This solo exhibition brings together a striking body of work built over nearly a decade and originally commissioned by the Arts Council England. Visually forceful and sensitively crafted, Gerry Judah’s works poetically engage with prescient issues of climate change in India whilst also exploring the artist’s personal history. Drawing on essential natural elements in his exquisitely detailed sculptures, Judah constructs the intangible: clouds shift, waves splash and smoke rises. Whilst a far cry from the rural farmland of Bengal and historic city of Calcutta, it is no surprise that these drawings and sculptures (2013 -2020) have been curated within the rural landscape of the UK’s first sculpture forest.
“We are delighted to host this exhibition at Grizedale Forest bringing together this significant body of work which has been developed by Gerry Judah over a number of years since returning to India in 2013. Visitors to the gallery will gain insight into a sculptor’s process, from thinking through ideas and forms through drawing to the production of beautifully crafted sculptures. A common theme is the rickshaws from which each response to the individual elements flow as the artists brings together his childhood memories and thoughts on climate change into dynamic drawings and fascinating forms .” – Hazel Stone, Arts Development Manager for Forestry England at Grizedale Forest.
Examples of the BENGAL series have recently been exhibited at the High Commission of India and Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Other major works by Gerry Judah are currently on permanent display at institutional venues ranging from the Imperial War Museum to St Paul’s Cathedral, the House of Wisdom in Sharjah UAE and international sculpture parks such as Cass Sculpture Foundation, UK and Gibbs Farm Sculpture Park, New Zealand.
About The Artist: Born in 1951 in Calcutta, India, Gerry Judah moved to London with his family at the age of ten years old. A graduate of Goldsmiths College and Slade School of Fine Art, Judah has worked on settings for some of the UK’s leading theatres, museums and public spaces, including the Royal Opera House, Royal Shakespeare Company, British Museum, English National Opera and Royal Ballet. In 2000, the Imperial War Museum commissioned Judah to create a large-scale model of the selection ramp in Auschwitz- Birkenau for the Holocaust Exhibition, opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The project signalled a shift in the thematics of Judah’s work towards art borne of his reflections on political, historical and environmental issues, culminating in collaborations with organisations including Christian Aid and the British High Commission, India.
Gerry Judah’s BENGAL: The Four Elements opens at Grizedale Forest Gallery on 21st July 2020 The exhibition moves to Dalby Forest on 15 September
The gallery space at Grizedale provides a perfect setting to view these thought-provoking works. The exhibition is open from 11 am until 3 pm daily Admission FREE