GAVIN HOUGHTON: SUCH A RELIEF

London, UK – 21 November 2024 – 8 Holland Street announces Gavin Houghton: 'Such A Relief”, presenting new ceramic artworks by Gavin Houghton, created exclusively for 8 Holland Street. The collection comprises 5 unique clay reliefs, as well as a plaster casts available in a limited edition of 8 pieces each. The works are on display in our Kensington gallery as well as available to purchase through our website.

Exhibition Overview: The collection is directly inspired by a trip to Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, where Gavin saw ‘Wrestlers’, the famed early Twentieth Century plaster relief by French artist and sculptor, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. Gavin began working on his first relief in clay before creating a resin mould and casting this into plaster.

“It was my first time using plaster. I wanted to make panels that could be set into a wall, but I realised they could hang alone as tableau on a wall in their own right. Think Elgin Marbles; but these panels are like museum shop replica’s of the original! They have a patina and age which makes them them hard to date, even thought they were created in my studio in South London earlier this year.

The figures in the reliefs are not highly intellectualised but build on a variety of different design references, from classical art, through art deco and cubism, and include motifs such as arches, palms and snakes. Gavin’s titles for the works allude to the feeling of joy and cheekiness embodies in his creations: Duncan’s Dream, Two’s Company, Mans Best Friend, Snake Bite and Omar’s Dream.