For this Lupine Tower artwork, nature is Arne Quinze’s main inspiration. This sculpture is a distillation of nature that appears to have grown organically as a result of continuous attractive and repulsive impulses with the aim of preserving a balance, albeit delicate. At first sight lupines may perhaps appear fragile, but they are nevertheless capable of withstanding this harsh dialogue. Their colour palette is broad and inspired by the abundance of tints Quinze finds in his wild flower garden. This exposes the contrast between the diversity of nature and the encroaching monotony of our often grey cities.
Disembodied from any room, structure or building, a ‘larger than life’ painted bronze door, is freestanding, open at 45°’s to the frame. This internal wooden door by Gavin Turk now placed in Regent's Park has different colours painted on each side, the door shows signs of age and wear which are painted onto its surface. Its giant bronze door handle and keyhole seem to shrink the viewer. This work invokes Magritte’s painting La Victoire and the title references Luis Bunuel’s surreal film of the same name. It is a playful surrealist public artwork that the audience enjoys interacting with as a gateway to their imagination. L’Âge d’Or teases the audience to question notions of home, security, architecture and also the bolder concepts of inside and outside. The work can also be seen in the context of Marcel Duchamp’s door in rue Larrey and Jasper Johns’ painted bronze Ballentine beer cans.
Frieze Sculpture opens in the English Gardens of Regent's Park, London,
from 5-18 October 2020 and is free and open to all.
