Born in 1958, the Yorkshire, England, native developed his sense of observation and awareness of natural shapes by spending time in nature. Simon Gudgeon was in his 40s and well into his legal career when he decided to be a full-time sculptor. The artist’s stylized and minimalist lines make his figurative and semi-abstract pieces instantly recognizable. Inspired by his surroundings, Gudgeon uses his work to draw our gaze to the beauty around us. Although beauty is subjective, the artist connects with the public on a personal, rather than artificial, level.
- 15 Artworks
- 30min
- TOHU
Cirque du Soleil's International Headquarters
Artwork description
This is one of the artist’s first purely abstract sculptures. Embrace 2 is inspired by a bird’s wing and derived from the form of Thoth (lunar deity in Egyptian mythology with the head of an ibis). The curved sculpture offers to envelop us, drawing us to its centre so we can hear the sounds of the outside world as they surround the work and glance off the interior surfaces, bringing us into communion with the artwork and its environment. With Embrace 2, Gudgeon sought to create a work that exists outside of confined spaces and interacts with its setting. Five such sculptures exist in the world.