the space within

the space within

space for reflection space for creativity
space for growth
space for self examination space for change
space for renewal
space to discover who we are and how we relate
space for intimacy
space for sharing
space for the spirit to soar
without it we cannot survive as individuals or as societies

the sculptures in this exhibition are about that space
real and metaphorical
existing in our minds
extending our sensibilities
in a world that affords us so little space we must
create it for ourselves.

Helaine Blumenfeld
If Blumenfeld’s thematic concerns have changed very little since her first solo show in 1966, the distance she has travelled in her ability to express them is immense, and nowhere is this better shown than in the sculptures entitled Space Within. These ambitious, minimally-joined forms, which consist of four, five or six figures layered around a central space, are some of the most visionary sculptures that she has ever produced. Reflection, La Ronde, Arcadia and Together make a powerful statement about the complexity of human involvement, not just on a one-to-one level but in terms of how we relate to each other as a society. Condensed and powerful, they imply that by joining together in a creative way – a way which allows for intimacy and distance, strength and tenderness – we can become far greater than the sum of our parts.

Nicola Upson
01/01/2008
Published by the Royal British Society of Sculptors
ISBN
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