I went to Yorkshire Sculpture Park thinking their new exhibition called Kaleidoscope—examination of 1960s sculpture and painting—could be good simply because the art from this era occupies a special place in my mind.
This was my only expectation, otherwise I had none “I have never been here before!” Is it a farm? Is it a park? Is it a gallery? It’s an amazing place where one can wander about for hours and still get surprised and impressed not only by display of artefacts but equally by the location’s natural beauty.
I’ve been lucky to see sunshine making its way through low clouds, definitely enhancing my experience. This was especially true for the first collection I went to view, indoor and outdoor. British contemporary sculptor Tony Cragg with his A Rare Category of Objects – an impressive array of shapes, sizes and materials, set the bar high quick.
To get to see the already mentioned Kaleidoscope I had to walk to the Longside Gallery across the field up the hill. I was offered to get on a free shuttle bus but then I would have missed all the sculptures that are scattered around the park’s grounds. Yes, there are big names out there (Henry Moor, Ai WeiWei…), there are also works of lot of others, inviting for a moment of surprise of seeing something new for the first time.
Colour and Sequence in 1960s British Art is a subtitle of the exhibition where the roughly 50 years old vibes are still fresh as ever. It is not only because of presence of a piece from my all–time favourite Bridget Riley but also because of use of bold and striking shapes and colours in the work of others.
After a decent walk through Yorkshire countryside I visited the next place on my leaflet grabbed at the information desk. The Chapel Gallery with its [Re]construct exhibition where manipulation and reconstruction of architecture forms and qualities take place. Amongst others, there is a work from Alex Chinneck, who is known for his architectural structures often enriched by a portion of visual illusion, that blurs everyday world into extraordinaire.
My day in Yorkshire Sculpture Park hasn’t ended there yet but I was already sure that I could say the same about this place—it has capability to melt a common day into an extraordinary one.
