Jane Ackroyd

Description

Appearing out of the greener, a species more commonplace wandering the plains of the African Savannah as opposed to a wooded copse in rural England, reveals itself. This statuesque beast with its Ox like horns curving downwards and bearded chin evokes a sense of maturity, of an animal that has witnessed a great number of things.

Yet in this particular instance what has been realised is not a precise replica of what one might see on a safari but a form that is constructed in what seems like industrial components in an equally industrial material, that of steel, giving this creature an armour like surface. Is this perhaps a subliminal comment on the urbanisation of its native Africa.

The suggestion of retrospect is not only a facet of the Wildebeest's face but also in the way that its body expresses itself in such a means that its head openly looks back, whilst the rest seeks to go forwards. Its long neck curving to enable it to see where it had once been, broadening the space it resides within through its gaze. This migratory mammal instigates a literal and philosophical tension of wanting to move forwards yet at the same time constantly evaluating the past.