Sean Henry

Description

'Walking Woman' is in keeping with Sean Henry's sculptural oeuvre which is characterised by its verisimilitude and focus upon the human condition. The subjects of Henry's art are anti-heroic individuals, unnerving in their 'ordinariness,' who often exude a sense of longing and melancholy to which viewers frequently relate. Consequently, Henry's outdoor works provide an ironic contrast to the history of traditional public monuments and their celebration of conventional heroism.

Henry's work is also characterised by his frequent manipulation of scale. Scaling up, and down, imbues his works with a sense of 'otherness' which serves to make strange what would otherwise be relatively unremarkable. As Susan Stewart has stated, 'Walking Woman,' at an imposing 2.2m, 'tests the relation between materiality and meaning.'

The piece, the first edition of which is positioned within an international Bank, depicts a steely, purposeful figure who, in her original context, can be read as a discreet capitalist avatar. However, within the context of the Cass Sculpture Foundation, 'Walking Woman' is juxtaposed with her new sylvan setting in which she is now incongruous. She takes on new meaning as a result of her disorientation and solitude.