Sculpture at Falconhurst
This summer, Falconhurst Estate will host a debut exhibition of sculpture that will celebrate the medium of stone, opening 29th June to 27th July 2024.
Inspired by the UK’s most respected sculpture exhibition, on form, at Asthall Manor in the Cotswolds, this exhibition will be an intimate collection of works by renowned sculptors including Régis Chaperon, Luke Dickinson, Rosie Jones, Jason Mulligan, Ana Ruiz Agüí, Guy Stevens, Mark Stonestreet and Anthony Turner. Falconhurst’s exhibition, curated by Nicola Talbot, is poised to become an annual destination for sculpture as part of the estate’s summer celebrations of art and culture.
Set against the backdrop of a historic house, the sculpture will be displayed in Falconhurst’s gardens, which have been owned and tended by the Talbot family since 1850. Each tree, path and lawn has been carefully planned by a family member, gently shaping the landscape of the gardens over many generations to create a unique sense of permanence and place.
Introducing the sculptors
Opening Times
The exhibition is open from Sunday 30th June to Saturday 27th July, from 10am - 4pm Monday - Friday, and 11am - 4pm Saturday & Sunday. Please note the exhibition is closed on the 6th & 13th July for private events.
Parking
Parking is available in The Paddock car park, which is just past the Farm Shop on the left. Additional tickets and catalogues will be available to buy on entry to the gardens in The Paddock, or in the Farm Shop.
Information
All of the sculpture on show is available to buy. Catalogues are available to purchase on the gate or in the Farm Shop, or please request an information sheet. A member of staff will be delighted to help you should you require further information.
Dogs
We regret that dogs are not permitted to enter the gardens during the sculpture exhibition.
Safety
The sculpture will be securely in place for your safety and enjoyment. Please be vigilant with young children, as large stone pieces always present a risk should they fall.
Régis Chaperon
Régis Chaperon started working in stone at seventeen. His natural sensitivity for form led him to Carrara, and later to the University of Valencia, where he became engaged with contemporary concepts of art. His sculptures are now in public spaces and private collections in England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. He has also become involved with urban and interior design, bringing together his artistic vision and his considerable technical knowledge of working with stone.
Combining the ancient art of Japanese paper folding with the immutable nature of stone, Régis brings beauty and an unexpected twist to the folds of his elegant sculptures. Using pure and simple lines, the stone appears to have been carefully creased and bent, transformed into intricate expressions of reality. By continually exploring the geometric constraints within his work, Régis injects an utterly modern approach to stone sculpting with this unusual marriage of origami and stone.
Luke Dickinson
Born in 1964, Luke worked as stonemason on Winchester and Salisbury cathedrals before going to City and Guilds Art School and later Wimbledon School of Art. He has done landscape projects in Zimbabwe, Pakistan and India. He has exhibited widely in the UK and also done many commissions.
The sculptures relate to natural forms and domestic objects while being ambiguous. The intention is to suggest something ancient while being new; light while having mass; purpose without being explicit.
Rose Pana Jones
Rose is an award-winning sculptor who creates works of art to enrich both traditional and contemporary homes. She has been a professional sculptor for 13 years; from a young age she had an affinity for palpable objects and knew that she needed to create things using my hands. But her artistic schooling truly began at The Chelsea School of Art and Design when she learnt about the importance of concept and trying to convey an idea through art rather than reproducing what you see. She then graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Newcastle University in 2007 and completed a course in Historic Stone Carving at The City & Guilds of London Art School. She is a Yeoman Mason for The Worshipful Company of Masons and has been awarded the Duke of Gloucester Award for Excellence in Stone Carving, as well as The London Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution. Rose participates in a regular programme of exhibitions, both in the UK and internationally, including the XIII Edition of The Florence Biennale in Italy.
The sculptures she creates are symbols of wisdom and strength to be used as a source of contemplation and reflection. Sculpture that encourages you to focus on the present moment and think about what gives your life meaning, such as your friends and family. The forms she carves are curvilinear and sensual, embodying a powerful feminine energy. Having developed through drawings and maquettes, the final sculpture is often made up of several forms where a pleasing composition and dynamic balance is essential.
All sculptures are signed and include a certificate of authenticity and free installation within 1 hours drive of Falconhurst.
Jason Mulligan
Jason Mulligan is a contemporary sculptor specialising in stone and is currently based in Kent.
His first trip to the marble quarries of Carrara in Italy was in 1996 and the impression he left with regarding stone carving has stayed with him ever since.
Jason's direct approach to carving and his interest in the use of stone as a material has remained a necessary grounding in his search for form.
A whole series of subjects are at play within his work, including ‘recognition’, ‘looking’, and ‘speculation’, which are common in both archaeology and in art, whether new or ancient.
His small hand - held works recall some past primaeval state, while the larger naturalistic works cause the viewer to examine their surroundings more closely and view them with new eyes.
Jason's work is held in collections in USA, Canada, Norway, Europe and the UK. He exhibits in both group and solo exhibitions with a variety of larger public works on display throughout the UK and Eire.
Jason was elected a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 2008.
Ana Ruiz Agüí
Ana graduated in Fine Arts from the University of La Laguna,Tenerife. She specialized in stone sculpture, studying in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara. Ana’s work is in private and public collections in Germany, Italy, Spain, England and the Czech Republic. She currently lives in Lincolnshire and exhibits in England.
Ana Ruiz Agüí seeks through conceptual and abstract sculpture to manifest the beauty of the stone, the dynamics of the curves and the contrasts between different textures. She wants to create sculpture with character, without getting lost in detail, allowing the material to speak for itself and to breathe. She is looking for a synthesis of complexity with cadence and harmony.
Her new collection is about the concept of Chrysalis. It attracts the artist because it is associated with her own personal experience, with the internal transformation in which she finds herself now.
Through the forms of chrysalises in stone she wants to represent those internal spaces in which everything is possible, the refuge of something changing and beautiful that wants to emerge.
Guy Stevens
Guy Stevens completed a Fine Art degree at Chelsea School of Art in 1994. In 2001, he taught himself to carve stone and has been carving ever since, recently including ceramics to inform his working practice. Guy is an Associate of the Royal Society of Sculptors, has undertaken several public art commissions and has works in private collections internationally. Guy’s work is playful in nature, he tries to resist the obvious, often not knowing what the result will be, the stone, more or less dictates.
'My work is meant to be playful and is not to be taken too seriously, its value is the one you find and observe there, not the one someone else has placed on it, it does not have to be anything just keeps me sane and hopefully spreads a little joy in its existence”
Mark Stonestreet
Mark Stonestreet was born in Singapore in 1971 and embarked on a journey of artistic exploration early in his life. His passion for sculpture led him to study at Newcastle Polytechnic, where he honed his skills and ignited his curiosity for diverse mediums and techniques.
Venturing across Europe, Asia, and beyond, Mark immersed himself in various artistic traditions, laying the groundwork for his own creative process. In 2004, he stumbled upon Mamallapuram, India, a vibrant village boasting over 200 stone carving workshops. For the ensuing four years, he immersed himself in the rich tradition of Dravidian temple carving, living and working alongside master craftsmen. This experience profoundly influenced his artistic vision.
Today, Mark maintains a thriving studio in Mamallapuram, where he continues to craft inspired works. Additionally, he has established a studio in the picturesque setting of the South Downs National Park in Sussex, United Kingdom. Here, he completes pieces initiated in India and shares his expertise by teaching traditional carving techniques to the public.
Constantly curious, Mark remains committed to expanding his knowledge of different stone types and their unique qualities. His travels serve as a wellspring of inspiration, subtly influencing each finished sculpture with hints of his diverse experiences.
In his art, Mark strives for a delicate equilibrium between line, form, and texture, using each element to complement and accentuate the others. Through his work, he seeks to evoke a sense of harmony and beauty that transcends cultural boundaries.
Anthony Turner
Anthony Turner was born in 1959 in Nairobi, Kenya and grew up there, living on a coffee farm until he was seventeen. Early influences include many African sculptors, and in particular two meticulous Kikuyu carpentry teachers who both demanded thorough, patient craftsmanship. When twelve he was sent to school in England, which happened to be a bicycle ride between the Avebury Stones, Silbury Hill, and Stonehenge. He studied social sciences at Exeter University.
After travelling through many of the legacies left in stone by ancient civilisations such as the Egyptians, the Inca, and in India, Anthony learnt stone carving skills whilst assistant for four years to master stone sculptor Peter Randall-Page in Devon. Anthony helped initiate the fabulous on form stone sculpture exhibition at Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire, which ran on alternative years from 2002 to 2022, and he showed work in all ten exhibitions. He held three solo London exhibitions at the Sladmore Contemporary gallery in Mayfair. Anthony now works mainly in Devon where many of his sculptures can be seen on a riverside walk through a field called Longmeadow, in the Teign Valley on the edge of Dartmoor.
