Artist Boss

19 Nov 2016 – 29 Jan 2017

Anthony Caro, Ian Dawson, John Gibbons, Guy Martin and John Wallbank

Curated by Jenny Dunseath and Mark Wilsher

From the early stages of his career Sir Anthony Caro (1924-2013) employed young artists as studio assistants in his Camden studio. This exhibition, and the recently published book of interviews of the same title, highlights the role of the artist's assistant in the story of twentieth century British sculpture. It asks questions about originality, authenticity, and authorship. Fundamentally it underlines the crucial importance of relationships and a sense of community within a creative workplace.

This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to see how artists unified by the forefather of British sculpture explore the language of sculpture today. Four assistants from five successive decades of employment are represented here with recent works, alongside pieces by Caro that were made during their respective eras in the studio.

The works of Guy Martin, John Gibbons, Ian Dawson and John Wallbank all demonstrate the different ways in which the evolution of sculptural language has been negotiated. Each artist contributes to the development and progression of sculpture, continually questioning and challenging their foundations. They reflect a fundamental shift from hands-on, process-based sculpture towards the expanded field. All of the pieces in this exhibition demonstrate a kind of learning that is rooted deeply in the processes of the studio and in spending time with someone committed to medium-specificity.

This exhibition is part of a wider research project focused on Anthony Caro, investigating the role of the studio assistant, its impact on learning and artistic careers.
Visit www.artistboss.org.uk for more details.

The Artist Boss publication, published by Wunderkammer Press, is available to purchase.