Tony Cragg Stages, 2018

The renowned British sculptor Tony Cragg draws on both nature and industrial systems in creating his unique sculptural language. While his early sculptures were accumulations of found objects, Cragg’s recent works are created in more traditional sculptural materials, such as wood, bronze and steel. Cragg’s Stages (2018) recalls natural geological forms, such as the weathering of rock by the forces of wind and water, but cast in gleaming stainless steel. The upright form attains a totemic quality, yet any sense of permanence is undermined by its highly polished surface which reflects the ephemerality of its surroundings, including light and movement. The delicacy of the undulating form suggests a rivulet of water, as if frozen in motion, but also hints at human profiles that seem to emerge and disappear in its curves.