Ben Pearce | Obelisk

Ben Pearce's new exhibition advances his exploration of rock-like forms, bringing together complex faceted structures and new materials.

Driven by an enduring fascination with the relationship between form and space, Ben combines triangulated planes of Corten steel and, more recently, bronze to create sculptures that shift and transform with the viewer’s perspective. Their multifaceted surfaces absorb and reflect light in different ways, introducing a sense of movement to otherwise static forms. As we move around them, both the sculptures and our perception of the surrounding space continually change.

Ben’s work strikes a compelling balance between the natural and the industrial. Although unmistakably fabricated from metal, his sculptures possess an organic quality, as though they have emerged from the landscape itself. They also have a remarkable sense of character. Viewers frequently describe his works in human terms, attributing personalities, emotions and expressions to forms that are entirely abstract.

This tension between the physical and the psychological lies at the heart of Pearce’s practice. His sculptures invite us to reconsider the spaces we inhabit while simultaneously encouraging an instinctive, almost personal connection with the objects themselves. Ben embraces these varied responses, recognising that our encounters with form can be as intuitive and subconscious as they are intellectual.