SARAH MYERSCOUGH GALLERY
LONDONChristopher Kurtz (b. 1975), Skipping Stone Table, 2022
Walnut, Oak, Cherry and Tulipwood with graphite
76 x 249 x 114.3 cm (HxWxD)
Christopher Kurtz’s pieces are born, first and foremost, from a sculptural motivation invested in the specificity of object hood; he comments that, ‘for me, making sculpture is not a conceptual or immaterial practice, it’s physical. I settled on wood as my medium because it’s structural, but also malleable and alive.’ The artist expertly sculpts his material using a carefully chosen palette of tools; often beginning without a predetermined blueprint for the final piece, Christopher works intuitively to create poignant and poetic forms that respond to a personal narrative or reflection and which, in turn, elicit a powerful emotional response from the viewer.
Inspiration for Christopher’s Skipping Stone series, specially created for the gallery, comes from his treasured time skipping stones with his daughter on the Hudson River: ‘It's a way we end each day together. We love searching for the perfect river stone; the shapes are so beautiful to hold-sometimes we can't bear to toss the good ones into the river, and we end up putting them in our pockets, bringing them home and stacking them up’. He uses locally sourced wood such as black American walnut, ash, cherry and white oak and sensitively hand carves each piece into smooth elliptical pebble shapes, expressively balanced to form the structure of the work.
Christopher has gained international attention for his sculpture and studio furniture, which is included insignificant private collections. The artist was shortlisted for the Loewe Craft Prize 2018 with a signature wooden sculptural work. He received the prestigious Louis Comfort Tiffany Award in 2005, and in 2007 he received a NewYork Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Award (Lily Auchincloss fellow). He has exhibited as part ofAgainst the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft and Design at the Museum of Arts and Design, USA. His work has been shown at numerous international art and design fairs, including Design Miami, PAD and FOG.
Teresa Hastings (b. 1960), Not me, 2022
Wool, washi paper and hammered iron wire
Main body 210 x 180 cm, with Rya-Knot fringing 320 x 180 cm
£60,000 plus any applicable taxes
Teresa’s textile practice is rooted in a philosophy which prioritises the honesty of construction. Through her craft she explores the possibilities of human connection in a divisive world and her work is a response in part to the history and development of sustainable non-generic design in opposition to technology-led production. Herrichly tactile tapestries are made using fibres ranging from wool and washi paper to puddled iron, and are hand-dyed using natural materials including Myrobalan plum, lichen and sweet chestnuts.
“The story of the Myrobalan plum is central to my enquiry. I use the dye extensively. The plum dried in the sun and ground with a stone will, when boiled in water, achieve the vibrant green and yellows you see in my textiles.That same plum when left to soak in a rusty iron tin, with strips of old metal, wire, nails and fixings becomes dark and murky. When boiled in an iron pot with yarn, the blackened water will achieve greys through to black...The scope of my Himalayan textile practice has widened through this exploration of the effect of sun, fire and water, as well as the contrast between a simple plum affiliated with timber and one transformed by an association with metal. This narrative has led from the utilitarian and decorative to abstract textile installations, that explore materiality, function, fire and water.”
Teresa studied textiles at Central Saint Martins, and after graduating worked for Jack Lenor Larsen in New York asa weaver and colourist before becoming an interior designer. Her practice developed a focus of architectural design and crafted product. Through close collaboration with a large team of makers she developed a collection of hand-cast ironmongery, hand-knotted rugs, fabricated metalwork and fumed-Oak furniture. In 2017 her focus returned to textiles and natural dyeing and to this end she has spent increasing time in the Indian Himalayas; initiating “Studio Kashi” in 2019 and now splits her time between her studios in London and India. Her aim is to continue to develop her artistic practice with a zero impact on animal or nature, whilst collaborating with traditional local artisans and supporting the use of local materials, be she in England or India.
ABOUT SARAH MYERSCOUGH GALLERY
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sarahmyerscough.com
Established in 1998, Sarah Myerscough Gallery represents a distinguished group of contemporary craft and design artists, specialising in material-led processes with a focus on wood and natural materials. The gallery represents highly-skilled international artist-designer-makers, whose practices are grounded in craft-making traditions but defined by contemporary innovation and invention. Through diverse making processes, they collectively embrace the complex intersections between history and future; hand and technology; form and function.