Oct. 18 – Dec. 17, 2022 | West Vancouver, B.C.
PRESS RELEASE | October 13, 2022 (Vancouver, BC) - Martha Sturdy Gallery is delighted to announce Martha Sturdy: All Fall Down, an evocative new exhibition and culmination of Martha’s life and career, on display from October 19 to December 17 at West Vancouver Museum. All Fall Down is a glimpse into Martha’s unconstrained spirit and a return to her lifelong passion for sculpture that is foundational to her accomplishments as an internationally-celebrated artist and designer.
With an unsettling magnetism, All Fall Down invites visitors to immerse themselves in a series of site-specific installations that combine wood, fire, black stain and resin. Centered on natural cycles of growth, death, decay, and renewal, the strikingly eerie sculptural works incorporate crumbling ancient cedar logs, salvaged from a once fire-stricken stand of trees at Martha’s farm in Pemberton, BC. Selected for their raw, undulating forms and split to reveal grain, composition and life-cycle, the inherent drama and imperfection of the wood is heightened by tempering and treatment.
Through the span of her career, Martha’s sculpture remains focused on natural monumentality - this time in a jarring move away from her polished minimalism to a more raw and rugged practice. “There is a primal power and majesty to the forest,” describes Martha. “I sometimes ride through the forest on horseback and it’s exciting to see it from a different angle. This is where I draw my inspiration.” Her connection to the Pacific Northwest has fostered a fundamental sensitivity towards the natural world and an appreciation of its complex relationship to human activity, as evident in this latest work.
All Fall Down is curated by West Vancouver Museum’s Hilary Letwin, and organized with the support of Jessica Anderson. The accompanying publication features essays by Robin Laurence and Craig Burnett. A public opening reception will take place on October 18 from 6-8 p.m., with the artist in attendance.
For further details, visit West Vancouver Art Museum