For sculptor Kenny Hunter the monument is a form in flux. Sculpture Court, his new exhibition for Aberdeen Art Gallery, is both a provocation and a reflection on the role of public artforms such as the traditional monument.
Monuments are loaded with meaning, they stand as testaments to our social and political pasts, reinforcing historical legacies that continue to shape our world today. As objects in the public realm they address us all and have an active and serious role in defining collective memory. This in turn informs opinion, shapes social groups, and ultimately constitutes national identity.
Hunter presents his sculptures here against the magnificent backdrop of Aberdeen’s Art Gallery’s classically-inspired Sculpture Court as ambiguous and open to varied interpretation. Today, the original power and purpose of the monument can seem incongruous. Their failings, fragility, and fallibility are widely acknowledged.
About Kenny Hunter
Born in Edinburgh in 1962, Kenny Hunter graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1987 and then studied classical sculpture at the British School in Athens. In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Aberdeen University.
Hunter has exhibited extensively both in Britain and abroad. He has created many public sculptures including Citizen Firefighter (2001), outside Glasgow’s Central Station, Youth with split apple (2005) for Kings College, Aberdeen and iGoat (2010) in Spitalfields, London. Feedback Loop (2003) is in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. Hunter is currently working on a new commission for the Thomas Blake Glover memorial garden in Fraserburgh. He has also been commissioned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh to create a memorial to healthcare workers for their tireless efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exhibition supported by
