Tue 22 October 2019, 11.00am – Sun 15 December 2019, 5.00pm
A newly commissioned sculpture in the park by Ariel Schlesinger reaches skywards, challenging our perception of the ordinary and highlighting the relationship between humans and nature. Cast in aluminium, with shattered mirrors nestled in its upper branches, Schlesinger’s tree invites us to explore the unique and remarkable qualities in the everyday.
Just as our original landscape architect, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, constructed a seemingly natural landscape, so Schlesinger’s sculpture takes on a form that is at once both recognisable, and yet so much more.
This grounds commission is accompanied by a small solo exhibition of new work by Ariel Schlesinger inside the house, until Sun 15 Dec 2019.
Image: Courtesy Ariel Schlesinger & Galleria Massimo Minini Ph. Gilberti Petro
Through precise interventions, engineering flair and trompe l’oeil, Schlesinger’s work challenges our perceptions and encourages us to look at the familiar in new ways.
Schlesinger has lived and worked across the world, from California to Mexico and Berlin. Ways To Say Goodbye is his first commission in the UK.
Associate Curator Tamsin Dillon explores the development of the sculpture.
TD: What was your first reaction to the landscape at Compton Verney?
AS: It’s a beautiful landscape. It felt so naturally formed, well-balanced and organic. It was a surprise to discover how much work and alteration had been put into making the park look untouched.
TD: Can you say something about why you decided to title the work Ways To Say Goodbye?
AS: I am fascinated by how one thing can be seen in different ways. The title is not a literal explanation but a sentence that I like, and I hope that it is more open to questions than answers.
