The Creative Instinct

I was lucky enough to get along to the opening of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s latest exhibition today. My wife Lynda worked there for ten years as Artist in Education and got the invite. It was good for her to get back and see some old friends, albeit in her new wheelchair.

I didn’t know much about Isamu Noguchi before today – ha, ha – actually I didn’t know anything. Wow – did this guy know how to make beautiful sculptures.

Much of what was on show was not as ‘finished’ as the monumental sculpture in the picture, which is in the beautiful grounds of the park. [Note added December 2009:  I now know why they're so different from the image above - it's not by Noguchi but by Nigel Hall. My apologies to both Nigel Hall and the late Isamu Noguchi, and thanks to Jimmy for taking the time to let me know - Andrew Leigh] They are often hunks of stone with, apparently, minimal but well chosen working. Sometimes these pieces seemed to hint at a figurative source – a flint tool, a dinosaur’s skull, perhaps, and sometimes they seemed purely abstract.

But everything he put his hand to oozed sensuousness and personally I like the rocky stuff the best. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pieces that were so beguilingly attractive to the eye. I can’t wait to get back and see them when it’s less crowded.

As you might guess from the above ‘review’, I tend to react to sculptures from the gut rather than at an intellectual level, and I’m certainly not going to attempt anything like that here.

What I will say is this – if you are near enough to do so then give yourself some inspiration by getting along to this exhibition. It’s running from now until February and it’s by far the biggest collection of Noguchi’s work ever to be shown in Europe. And if you aren’t close enough for a trip to gorgeous Yorkshire (I get more hits from the US than the UK, so I know it’s too far for a day’s outing for y’all) – well, go visit something else that will give those creative juices a good shaking.

• This was also the opening for Sarah Staton’s Shucks, Sucks, Sticks, Stacks – brilliant title, but unfortunately our wonderful British weather and Lynda’s fading energy levels means we’ll have to save that for another day. What we heard about it sounded very interesting and we’ll get back to see the park and her exhibition soon, and hopefully in the sunshine – is that too much to ask?

• Finally, hi to Harvey Alexander, a printmaker from Harrogate who we had an enjoyable chat with over a glass of bubbly. Nice to meet you Harvey.

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