Richard Deacon. Nevermind

Richard Deacon. Nevermind

In the summer of 2017, the museum will host a solo exhibition of the work of the leading British sculptor, Richard Deacon, on the occasion of the restoration and re-exhibition of his monumental work, entitled “Nevermind”.

Saturday 27 May 2017 - Sunday 24 September 2017 from 10:00 to 20:00

Nevermind

1993: Antwerp is the cultural capital of Europe. The Middelheim makes the choice to focus on contemporary art. In one fell swoop ten new contemporary artworks are added to the permanent collection, including Richard Deacon’s Nevermind. This work plays a key role in the collection and development of the Middelheim Museum. However, the work itself has not been exhibited as part of the permanent collection for several years.

In 2016, the work will undergo a thorough restoration after which it will be displayed again. The Middelheim Museum has decided to mark this occasion with a major retrospective of Deacon’s work, in which Nevermind also has a place, featuring monumental works as well as more intimate gems.

A diverse body of work

Richard Deacon (UK, b. 1949) has been at the forefront of European sculpture since the Eighties. He uses the most diverse materials for his virtuoso abstract sculptures, including wood and textile, steel and clay, vinyl and PVC. Sometimes he creates works for indoors, other times the large-scale dimensions of his installations make them more suitable for outdoor display.

By bending and turning the wood and the steel, he creates complex figures, which feel highly organic and very man-made, with references to anatomy and engineering. Some have linear forms, while others are studies of volume and space.

Dreaming and thinking

Generally speaking, Deacon’s sculptures study the relationships between all physical forms: everything that is tangible in this world. He tests gravity, tension, placement, scale ratios, decay… always in relation to the human body, to the spectator.

As a sculptor, Deacon takes a keen interest in transitional forms or shapes that change continually, such as a flight of starlings, clouds, a crowd, smoke, water, nesting insects and so on. To him, they are examples of constant, albeit with a certain randomness. He uses them like metaphors for hidden meanings.

Sometimes the artist gives a hint with the title of the work. But for the most part, spectators are given the margin to add their own experiences and insights, with the artist inviting spectators to dream and think.

About Richard Deacon

Deacon was born in Wales and currently lives and works in London. In 2014, Tate Britain organises a magnificent retrospective of his work. He also was invited to present his works at the Serpentine Gallery, Whitechapel and Tate Liverpool, as well as at Documenta and Skulptur Projekt Munster. In 1987, he won the prestigious Turner Prize.