Exciting new exhibition at Inverewe’s Sawyer Gallery

The Sawyer Gallery is situated at the heart of award-winning Inverewe Garden and adjacent to the newly refurbished Inverewe House. This creative space exhibits a truly inspiring series of artworks throughout the year, which reflect the unique characteristics of the garden and the surrounding natural and man-made environment. Most of the artists showcasing their art at the Gallery will spend some time resident in the Garden to create their works.
Ann Coomber’s sculptures are based on natural, organic forms, each one recording her own journey through time and landscape. Ann has exhibited at Kew Garden for Sculpt at Kew 2017.

Ann’s exhibition here features a newly created sculpture, inspired by Inverewe. Called ‘The Shelter of Your Arms’, it’s an artistic response to Osgood’s shelter belt that nurtures, embraces and protects the garden, enabling its creation and growth. The creation of this sculpture has also been documented by Sawyer Gallery Curator Adrian Hollister in photographs and video. ’A sculptor at work’ is showcased alongside the sculpture and presents a rare insight into the inspiration, the thoughts and the sculpting process.

Ann Coomber has a deep interest in First Nation peoples, particularly the intimate relationship they have with the natural world, reflected in their art and artefacts. Complex narratives, ideas and personal or collective memories are recorded and preserved in their art, often passed down through generations. Every drawing and every object tells a story that records and directs their movement through life, landscape and time.

Meet the artist

Taking organic or biological forms as her starting point, Ann gradually develops, simplifies and abstracts them, all the while drawing on her own direct, emotional instincts. During this creative process, she digs deep into her own stories, memories, experience and emotions, imbuing the sculpture with meaning – recording her own journey through time and space, both imagined and real. Albeit intensely personal, her sculptures retain some degree of mystery and ambiguity – they remain secrets to be unlocked.

‘The Shelter of Your Arms’

Ann explains: ‘Whenever I visit Inverewe Garden, I am always impressed that its success and viability depend on the trees that were planted early in the project to shelter it from the strong winds. I wanted to acknowledge that contribution and decided on an ‘abstracted’ leaf shape for my sculpture. All my sculptures contain a memory and I felt it apt that this particular work should be imbued with the feeling of being held in a loving embrace, feeling safe and secure enough to develop your potential.’

The exhibition runs until Thursday 30 August.

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