Brick Bay Sculpture Trail is an ‘open air gallery’ featuring over 60 artworks by New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists in an idyllic natural environment. Brick Bay is closed at Covid Levels 3 and 4 but open to the public at Covid Levels 1 and 2. In the meantime, the exhibition is viewable online here
Included in the recent installations on the sculpture trail, Brick Bay is proud to present an alluring new sculpture from Ben Foster - Silver Figure. Working from his purpose-built studio, Foster spends his time just a short journey from the jagged shore of the Kaikoura peninsula where whales and other marine life occupy the coastal waters of the Pacific. To the other side his studio is overlooked by the snow-tipped peaks of the seaward Kaikoura Ranges. This arresting site is a potent force in Foster’s work, asserting itself formally in his practice through the geometric lines that trace the craggy landscape.
As a minimalist, Ben Foster is interested in reducing natural forms to their most essential representation. His sculptures walk the line between the depiction of a subject and the abstraction of that subject where they would become unrecognisable.
Previously focussing on the depiction of animal forms, Ben Foster’s latest sculptures have turned to human studies. Elegantly contrasted with her natural surroundings at the apex of the sculpture trail, Silver Figure has the poise and balance of a dancer, but the bold aluminum planes lend her the strength of an athlete. Despite being featureless (and therefore emotionless) she has a strong presence, imposing authority over the viewer. She appears frozen in time, yet there is a sense of motion delivered through subtle accents of her face, torso and skirt.
As Foster notes: “The figures can be viewed as self-portraits of sorts...presenting an impression of relaxed detachment that may conceal more complex emotions beneath the mask-like surfaces.” This notion has particular resonance in an age where mask-wearing has become a part of daily life, affecting our individual behaviours and and our interactions with others.
Opening Hours
- Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm
- Saturday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Address
- 17 Arabella Lane
- Snells Beach 0982
Brick Bay Sculpture Trail is an ‘open air gallery’ featuring over 60 artworks by New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists in an idyllic natural environment. Brick Bay is closed at Covid Levels 3 and 4 but open to the public at Covid Levels 1 and 2. In the meantime, the exhibition is viewable online here
Included in the recent installations on the sculpture trail, Brick Bay is proud to present an alluring new sculpture from Ben Foster - Silver Figure. Working from his purpose-built studio, Foster spends his time just a short journey from the jagged shore of the Kaikoura peninsula where whales and other marine life occupy the coastal waters of the Pacific. To the other side his studio is overlooked by the snow-tipped peaks of the seaward Kaikoura Ranges. This arresting site is a potent force in Foster’s work, asserting itself formally in his practice through the geometric lines that trace the craggy landscape.
As a minimalist, Ben Foster is interested in reducing natural forms to their most essential representation. His sculptures walk the line between the depiction of a subject and the abstraction of that subject where they would become unrecognisable.
Previously focussing on the depiction of animal forms, Ben Foster’s latest sculptures have turned to human studies. Elegantly contrasted with her natural surroundings at the apex of the sculpture trail, Silver Figure has the poise and balance of a dancer, but the bold aluminum planes lend her the strength of an athlete. Despite being featureless (and therefore emotionless) she has a strong presence, imposing authority over the viewer. She appears frozen in time, yet there is a sense of motion delivered through subtle accents of her face, torso and skirt.
As Foster notes: “The figures can be viewed as self-portraits of sorts...presenting an impression of relaxed detachment that may conceal more complex emotions beneath the mask-like surfaces.” This notion has particular resonance in an age where mask-wearing has become a part of daily life, affecting our individual behaviours and and our interactions with others.
