Heavy Metal brings together seminal work by Anthony Caro (1924–2013) with the pioneering practice of James Capper (b. 1987). The exhibition explores a cross-generational dialogue, tracing the evolution of British sculpture from the abstract revolution of the 1960s to Capper’s mechanical age.
Albion Barn’s large-scale presentation of indoor and outdoor sculpture succeeds a dual exhibition at Albion Jeune in London. Drawings, preparatory maquettes and indoor sculpture are displayed across two galleries at Albion Barn, while large-scale outdoor works are exhibited in the lawn and fields. The presentation is accompanied by the publication of a new book exploring the legacy of Anthony Caro within British sculpture, and his continued influence on James Capper’s artistic practice. Heavy Metal includes an essay written by Deyan Sudjic, former director of the Design Museum.
A fundamental shift in the landscape of modern sculpture took place when Caro returned from his trip to North America, supported by a Ford Foundation Grant, at the end of 1959. He returned to the UK with a clear ambition to continue the rule-breaking dynamism of his transatlantic contemporaries within the context of British artistic practice. Heavy Metal features seven of Caro’s large-scale sculptures, demonstrating his mastery of an industrial vocabulary that rejected traditional materials and processes in favour of raw, welded steel and block colour rendered in industrial paints. This approach is visible in works spanning decades. Both Caro’s Vespers (1972–1974) and his Aurora (2000–2003) illustrate his striking use of block colour. In contrast, Caro’s Park Avenue Series: Towards Morning (2011–2012) explores the raw, unpainted surface materiality of steel and sets it in relation to the architectural urban environment. Across his oeuvre, Caro used surface and colour to unify found elements for a cohesive emotional and aesthetic impact.
Not only did he meet Caro, but Capper was able to exhibit the movement of one of his early MOBILE HYDRAULIC SCULPTURES before him at Let There Be Sculpture!: in collaboration with the Hannah Barry Gallery, at the New Art Centre at Roche Court Sculpture Park in August 2010. This critical moment serves as a benchmark from which the development of his practice can be explored. Since then, Capper has continued to work with industrial materials on a small and large scale. IRIS, which is on view at Albion Barn, is displayed alongside preparatory drawings and maquettes of the work, demonstrating Capper’s process from idea to 2D image, through to a fully functioning heliotropic sculpture. Painted in block colours of marine paint, and produced using steel and various other metals, the visual and material influence of Caro is evident.
However, IRIS is also symptomatic of what makes Capper’s sculptural practice so distinct. The work looks towards utility. Though each of Capper’s works is comprised of carefully crafted sculptural elements, his large-scale sculptures use hydraulic movement and power and are designed to emulate carefully studied biological processes. Capper himself categorises his work within numerous “divisions” which consider function as the defining element of his practice.
Exhibiting Capper alongside Caro presents a fruitful dialogue. Caro’s career moved British sculpture away from traditional processes of casting by repurposing scrap industrial material for use in abstract sculpture. Capper’s own practice has adopted the material possibilities that Caro’s pioneering influence allowed, considering the utility that sculptures and artistic practice may offer. At Albion Barn, this conversation takes form across the galleries and the surrounding landscape.
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