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Alex Hartley is a British artist whose work asks questions about how we look at and think about the built and natural environments. In this exhibition, a selected survey of his practice, the sculptures for which he first became known (glass-encased images of idealised modernist interiors) were joined by more recent photographic work and work connected to his interest in climbing on buildings, or ‘buildering’. The exhibition began on the Gallery’s façade, where Hartley made a major new work which approached the building from the point of view of an urban climber.

Born in the South of England in 1963, Hartley studied sculpture at Camberwell School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. His training led to links with the YBA generation of artists, but his practice has now expanded beyond his earlier reputation. His work shows us how our actual and metaphorical experiences of architecture may conflict or converge when real and imaginary spaces meet. Together, the works in this exhibition examined ideas about private and public spaces, how access can lead to trespass, and even a kind of political freedom.

Exhibition sponsored by Bloomberg
Exhibition supported by The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Henry Moore Foundation

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Listen to Alex Hartley: Pagan Urbanism with Stephen Cairns