World renowned Guernsey born artist, Eric Snell has been exploring maths in a way many would never consider, with the results on show in his new exhibit at Art for Guernsey’s gallery opening to the public today.
With the exhibit’s foundations based on playing with curiosity, and his inspiration coming from Guernsey’s tidal range, and another more unlikely source – a remote controlled car.
His artistic journey may have taken him away from local shores, but the man responsible for Guernsey’s Liberation Monument said he still feels very much at home on the island.
He told Express that “Guernsey is with you all the time”.
Mr Snell has exhibited, or has works in a permanent collection, across 18 jurisdictions across the world.
That includes Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, the USA, and of course, in Guernsey.
An alumnus of the Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD, a resident of the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, he also founded and headed the first School of Art and Design at Guernsey’s College.
Mr Snell told Express, that although he’s living elsewhere, his place of birth stills feels very much home.
“I just feel part of Guernsey. I don’t think that you ever lose that. The fact I’m now living in the UK…I’ve lived in the UK for a long time, I’ve lived in New York, lived in Australia, but Guernsey is with you all the time.”
He continued: “It’s nice to be back, but it doesn’t feel like in any way that I’m a visitor. It feels like I’m still very much part of the fabric of the place.”
The artist is responsible for the education of hundreds of people, with years dedicated to teaching locally and abroad. Speaking of Art for Guernsey, Mr Snell says it has continued with an ethos that resonates with him.
“What resonates more, I think, is the spirit of where David (Ummels) and Art for Guernsey is, and I suppose where I stepped away from.
“I’m very pleased that that continuum is continuing. I like to be part of such an initiative, that is really important, and if I can help support and develop that program, that’s a bonus.”
His exhibition features three main bodies of work, the Remote Controlled Drawings, where Mr Snell used remote-controlled cars with ink on their wheels to create abstract patterns on paper.
The ‘drawings’ act as a physical record of the car’s journey, making visible a movement that is otherwise unseen.
The second body of work, ‘Circle Squared’, evolved from the RC drawings, and is inspired by the ancient geometric problem of squaring the circle.
It explores the idea of trying to solve ‘unsolvable problems’ and reordering a drawing of a circle that was initially created by chance.
The third and final body of work, ‘Tide Lines’, directly connects to Guernsey’s coastline.
Mr Snell applies watercolour to paper and places it on the beach, allowing the tide to wash over the paper and create a unique record of that moment in time.
The exhibition also includes ‘Under Tension’, a site-specific installation that responds directly to the gallery’s architecture, and was the result of a mini-model, built by Mr Snell during his early discussions with Art for Guernsey.
The charity’s Founder and Chairman, David Ummels describes Eric Snell as a highly regarded British artist, and notes the exhibition will have a “Tate Modern feel”.
“It is greatly exciting for us to bring an artist of Eric’s calibre back to the island. He has truly inspired a generation of creatives in Guernsey and now belongs to the elite of British artists.
“‘Squaring Circles’ is not a retrospective, but by many standpoints this exhibition will allow the creative and personal journeys of Eric to find a purposeful stage. Expect a bit of a ‘Tate Modern feel’ in our gallery. Another first for us!”
Jock Pettitt, the Curation Director of Art for Guernsey, said the whole process, and working with Mr Snell, has been a pleasure.
“Working with Eric in the preparation and curation of this exhibition has been an absolute pleasure.
“From the first meeting in his studio to explore the bodies of work, it has been evident that the abstract results we observe are made with such a robust and meticulous process and narrative, which brings them to life and offers much greater depth than may at first be apparent.”
Mr Pettitt added: “More than ever, I encourage the viewer to explore the narratives, and take time to watch the film, to learn how these works are connected and to see first hand how his process has distilled complex ideas into effortlessly simple and beautiful results.
“As a first truly contemporary abstract exhibition for the gallery, I think we are in for a treat.”
There’s a tour of the Gallery and Artist Q&A open on Saturday at 14″00, and an ‘Evening with The Artist’ planned for Wednesday 24 October.