JOHN ATKIN : THE MADE AND THE UNMADE

The Made and the Unmade: Exhibition of works by artist John Atkin MA RCA FRSS
Henry Moore Scholar in Sculpture, RCA 1982-1985

The Made and the Unmade is born out of an earlier series of wall-based artworks entitled The Pendulum Reliefs, which have been exhibited throughout North America.
These artworks have developed from John Atkin’s interest in pattern-blocks (tailors’ patterns), which at one and the same time are elegant abstract forms as well as found-objects that allude to human identity. The human figure is at its core to, as is the objet-trouvé tradition in Modern and Contemporary Fine Art practice

The overwhelming majority of this work is hand-wrought, using traditional skills such as découpage, drawing, and painting which have led to the juxtaposition of digital methods as seen in this exhibition.

Also on display are a series of drawings, sketchbook pages, and ceramic sculptures, derived from Atkin’s research into 14th century plumb bobs. These measuring instruments have been used ever since ancient Egypt and pinpoint the nadir; the downward-facing point of a specific location as dictated by gravity. This description is almost human, and Atkin’s interest in this historic variety of plumb bobs is their figurative references, as well as his interest in found objects and their resonance to the human figure.