Sutton Gallery is pleased to present Autumn 2014, an exhibition of new sculptural works by John Meade. The exhibition’s title forms an overarching theme referring to the act of ‘showing’ artworks in the public sphere as an essential trigger for creating cultural dialogue.

The staging of the work at Sutton Gallery takes its cue from the seasonal collections of fashion houses. Meade has often allied the presentation of his artworks to the act of performance, exemplified in previous exhibitions such as, Show Business, 2009, Tour de Force, 1996, and Aura, also in 1996.

“. . . lighting, shifts in scale and carefully constructed plinths and platforms, Meade’s exhibitions place his sculptures within fragmented narratives, drawing audiences into mysterious, compelling scenarios that dig into the subconscious, dragging out unexpected, hidden or suppressed memories and associations.”
Russell Storer, Curatorial Manager, Asian and Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.

For Autumn 2014, Meade presents a series of five elegant new sculptures, with strong verticals and seductive curves, suggesting abstract, figurative forms. They carry the quality of a feminine silhouette in their sculptural shape: long and thin, akin to a fashion model. The five works are solid, foundry cast, aluminium, with a two-pack painted surface finished in a variety of colours. These forms are then complimented by accessorising gestures using a range of media, such as tinted chrome, glow-in-the-dark prayer beads and horsehair. These recurring dramatic verticals build up on Meade’s recent work where he sourced forms from eighteenth century monumental astronomical observatories in India. Of particular interest is the sundial, with its curving base which then extends upwards to the sky. This curvature at the base is strangely reminiscent of the oversized Giacometti foot and the stride of his walking sculptures is a further reference to Meade’s runway sculptures. Following on from this there is a gesture of homage in Autumn 2014 to John Baldessari’s bold take on Giacometti in his 2010 installation, The Giacometti Variations, at the Prada Foundation in Milan.