Johnny Hawkes | Chasing the Line by Sladmore

JOHNNY HAWKES Chasing the Line

32 Bruton Place (off Berkeley Square), London W1J 6NW · Tel +44(0)20 7499 0365 www.sladmorecontemporary.com ·

@sladmorecontemporary

FOREWORD Johnny Hawkes is a practical guy who has responded intriguingly to the extraordinary changes in our culture since the start of his career. He embraces these shifts and takes them in engaging and unexpected directions. This collection is the most recent chapter in that story. This, his first exhibition at Sladmore Contemporary, marks his embrace of abstraction without leaving behind the functional constraints of a furniture maker. But his furniture, in the best tradition of furniture down the ages, always has a strong sculptural idea at its core. Words are secondary to the form and ‘the line’ of each object, whilst at the same time being a part of it. His furniture pieces address aspects of our individual lives: Time, Life, Death and Sex are the subject of a series of side tables. With breath-taking technical virtuosity, he achieves the near impossible in the way he manipulates timber, glass, bronze and so much else. Exposure to the daily round of horrific news dulls our emotions. Here raw emotions are brought home in objects that embody them with a penetrating reality. Whether it is environmental devastation, cruelty, deprivation or sheer excess, his sculptures are a powerful commentary on the world we inhabit. Particularly special is the artist’s capacity to express these concerns through forms and the juxtaposition of materials in a direct and personal language.

John Makepeace Award winning Furniture Designer and Maker Founder of Parnham College 2

CHASING THE LINE I have been always been chasing the line. The line’s purity and shape has always fascinated me. It’s the romantic side of geometry. ‘The Sphelix’ which I did in 1978 with David Constable is a great example of this. It is all beautiful curves and yet it’s made with a straight line. A wonderful enigma. This body of work is fresh, being designed and made within the last three years. Each unique piece is a reflection of my resonating emotions in the here and now. The horror and pressure created by the rise of hate, division and intolerance is present in Sheared Loss. The environmental pieces invoke how we are devastating trees. Attraction looks at the question of have you found “The One”? and the deepness that emerged when I did just that. What is Enough explores our need for more and our dissatisfaction with what we already have when given too much choice: Heinz 57 out of control. Dichotomy of Your Star asks whether you prefer order and structure or a more fluid and mercurial approach. There are four hall tables about Time, Life, Death and Sex. A dining table, held in the tension of an incomplete break. A coffee table that revisits my 1994 unique hall table, Recession. It quivers

when you touch it, imparting fear and doubt. Its follow-up J-Fish has a domed top to tilt the experience. I hope my work creates a reaction. That is enough. If you walk on by, I have failed. I need my work to look perfect to me. It never does. The striving and failure create the angst that gives it tension. Materials-wise my love affair has always been with wood. It’s from the grain of native Elm, Oak, Sycamore and London Plane that my affection and dedication originate. After 40 years of work I have saved the best wood for this show. I do occasionally use exotics and am fully aware this is not cool anymore. The last time I bought any was in 1982 when it wasn’t perceived to be a problem. I anguish about it as the old stock dwells in my workshop. It’s either burn it or use it and I feel to make with it is the finest way to do it justice.

Johnny Hawkes Summer 2020 5

1. Time Con 90 Minutes Sycamore, sand, stainless steel, glass, unique 112 h x 125 w x 37 d cm

2. Sex Con Entwined Sycamore, unique 110 h x 125 w x 40 d cm

3. Life Con Heartbeat Burr elm, unique 107 h x 130 w x 33 d cm

4. Death Con Black holes assisted by Steve Pawsey Scorched oak, anodised aluminium, Amboyna rings, unique 103 h x 126 w x 35 d cm

5. Beautifier Dressing table 2001 Swiss pear wood, unique 154 h × 145 w × 56 d cm

6. Spinal Chair 1997 Alpi veneer, upholstery 152 h x 65 w x 60 d cm

7. Bleeding Tied Up. The emotions of trees Oak branch, barbed wire, resin, unique 50 h x 40 w x 40d cm

8. Caged Top Knot Pine, patinated copper, glass, unique 30 h x 57 w x 32 d cm

9. Crying Pool of Tears Pine, steel, resin, unique 32 h x 44 w x 26 d cm

10. Sheared Loss Paris November 2015. Kalashnikovs at the Bataclan Theatre. The haters & dividers. The other side of the glass wall Amboyna, glass, unique 36 h x 66 w x 24 d cm

11. Dichotomy of your Star Control v Fluid. Order v Chaos. Planning v Let it happen Scorched oak, glass, aluminium and acrylic rods, unique 39 h x 53 w x 27 d cm

12. Attraction Attraction and love. A kinetic piece. Have you found The One? Ebony veneer, patinated copper, bronze and stainless steel, unique 54 h x 50w x 50 d cm

13. What is Enough, maquette (50/1 scale) Our Culture of More Patinated steel cubes, mirror, glass, unique 20 h x 68 w x 20 d cm (Monumental scale piece: 3.6 m h x 14.8 m w x 4.4m d)

14. Nothing weighs more than Everything, maquette (40/1 scale) Bronze, glass, scorched oak background, unique 20 h x 66 w x 14 d cm

15. Half Sphelix Original sphelix conceived and made with David Constable Bronze, edition of 30 32 h x 32 w x 32 d cm

16. Mollusc Bronze, green patina, edition of 10 28 h x 15 w x 19 d cm

17. Mollusc Bronze, brown patina, edition of 10 28 h x 15 w x 19 d cm

18. Ovalix A Fibonacci Oval. Its length is 1.618 x its diameter. Fluorescant perspex, aluminium, unique 32 h x 44 w x 32 d cm

19. What’s The Point Optimism and Pessimism. There is always a point. There is no point. Bronze, edition of 10 18 h x 20 w x 18 d cm

20. J-Fish Amboyna, domed glass, bronze, unique 48 h x 80 w x 80 d cm

21. What’s The Point Optimism and Pessimism. There is always a point. There is no point Plywood gilded with 24ct gold and 18ct white gold, unique 18 h x 20 w x 18 d cm

22. Snapper Dining table English oak, 15mm toughened glass, unique 75 h x 260 w x 132 d cm

23. Light Cone Lights Burr poplar veneer & triphosphate tubes 174 h x 32 w x 32 d cm

BELLA HAWKES GLASS Bella is a glass sculptor with a passionate delight for the aesthetics in anatomy, bones and other organic forms. Through early interactions with clay this expression evolved into the fluid medium of blown glass. The sculptures harbour an individuality born out of a unique, hot making technique she developed while in Australia which has been the backbone of her glass work. Together, in her father Johnny Hawkes’ PW Studio and Sonja Klingler’s blowing hotshop, Bella and Johnny work in a collaborative partnership; designing, blowing, cutting, shaping and polishing the collection. During the making, the glass is manipulated to create the bridges: imaginary channels of communication from one side of the work to the other with vortexes of light at their anchor points. These display the significance of relationships, connection and balance. Awards & Publications 2010 - Published in ICON (August issue) 2008 - The Scottish Glass Society [joint] Award: Best Work in ‘Third Year Work in Progress’ exhibition. 2008 - Edinburgh College of Art, Glass Department prize: Best Work in ‘Third Year Work in Progress’. Bachelor of Visual Arts, Honours, Glass - Australia National University, Canberra. Bachelor of Arts, Design and Applied Art, Glass - Edinburgh College of Art. Selected Exhibitions 2012 - New Collection Launch - PW Limited. Pewsey, Wiltshire. 2011 - ‘Applied Art’ show case at Oreil Wrexham. Wrexham, Wales. 2010 - Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough, Wiltshire. 2010 - 400 Years of Scottish Glass Making Conference - Edinburgh College of Art. 2010 - Remarkable Glass - Contemporary Applied Art Centre, London. 2010 - New Designers: One Year On - Business Design Centre, London. 2010 - Group Show - The Gallery, Pewsey, Wiltshire. 2009 - Australia National University Degree Show - Canberra, Australia. 2008 - Past and Present - The Gallery, Cork Street, London. 2008 - Third Year Work in Progress - Edinburgh College of Art.

Bella Hawkes 24. Slice Blown hot glass, unique 22 h x 13 w x 13 d cm

Bella Hawkes 25. Rivulet Blown hot glass, unique 15 h x 33 w x 14 d cm

Bella Hawkes 26. Siesta Blown hot glass, blue sycamore base, unique 22 h x 28 w x 18 d cm

Bella Hawkes 27. Vertebrae (detail) Blown hot glass, ebony, black sand, stainless steel, unique 20 h x 62 w x 28 d cm

THE ROYAL MARSDEN HOSPITAL Diane McCarthy Medical Day Unit 20 Sept 2016 I’ve just finished a new wall relief which is very close to my heart. My wife Georgie has twice suffered from breast cancer and the last time was treated at The Royal Marsden. We spent over 70 hours in the Day Room whilst she sat there absorbing the various treatments. The last treatment, Taxol is derived from the hedge clippings of the English yew tree (Taxus Baccata). The chemists derive from these clippings a poison to treat a poison. The Medical Day Unit is an amazing place that profoundly affected us both. The care and dedication of the nurses all unified in treating each patient like they were their own. The immense and intense variety of emotions; fear, humour, hope, love, despair and anger to name just a few. A place where differences and impatience are smoothed into unity by the common goal of making some very sick people better and giving them hope. I have wanted to make this piece for a long time and have waited until I found the right piece of yew wood to reflect some of the feelings 36

I experienced whilst supporting Georgie through every treatment in the Day Room. She has made a full recovery and my gratitude cannot ever be enough. It is a gift to the Day Room, an artist’s abstract reflections in a material that is relevant and my way of saying thank you. For me the piece is about flow lines, ley lines of the spirit. The shaped and rounded flow lines are the cure. The chaotic, busy & random grain patterns in the wood are the disease. The cure flows through the disease. Johnny Hawkes.

I too have a particular fondness for the wonderful Marsden hospital staff who have looked after so many of my friends, family and even artists. My wife Jo volunteered in their out-patients canteen for over 30 years. Gerry Farrell.

28. Taxol Yew wood & blue paint Signed & dated 2016 120 x 28.5 x 5 cm

JOHNNY HAWKES b.1955 Hawkes is a self-taught artist who has worked predominantly throughout his life with wood. A renowned modern furniture designer and maker, he has been chosen to exhibit internationally, from New York to Sydney. After a brief and uninspiring time at Art School he joined the communal workshops 401½ in Vauxhall, London. Setting up his own studio he has created work in his signature style for many private and corporate clients. Most memorable were Lord Bath’s millennium bed and library, the Epsom Derby Trophy, a stand in Westminster Palace for Her Majesty The Queen and a writing desk for Monte Carlo’s Governor General. His monumental sculptures have been installed in La Defense, Paris and Covent Garden, London, and are held in many important private collections. Sculpture His work encompasses abstract flowing forms, chasing purity in curves, a love of sacred & fractal geometry, all inspired in the early 70’s by Henry Moore and Naum Gabo. Hawkes’s latest work is a set of pieces about falling water combining hot glass & wood. It’s about the cusp, the very edge, the frozen moment before the fall. Beyond that is a series about “busyness” and the enduring quality of nothing called ‘Absolute Daydreams’.

Ebeniste His oeuvre is split into two parts, ‘Organic and Sharp’. The feminine side (Organic) uses solid wood and involves sensual flowing lines, carving and shaping deep into the wood either with pairing chisels to create a quilting effect or cutting it up with band saws, shaping then reconstructing. Water and women are the prime inspiration. The masculine side (Sharp) is visually much tougher, created with intersecting planes and geometric forms that derive their inspiration from architecture and man made objects. Sphelix The Sphelix is a new shape, the joining of a sphere and a helix: a new global shape. Created with David Constable it spins ying yang, DNA, the life force, anti-racism and the joining of communities. Deceptively simple in form and endlessly metamorphic, The Sphelix is distinctively elegant whether experienced in two, three, or four dimensions. It resonates unity, communication, symmetry, purity and simplicity. It is timeless and has been described as one of the first ever 4D objects.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Steve Pawsey My bestie, we met in 1973 having both dropped out of our respective art schools, Ravensbourne and Wimbledon. Sharing many common threads and artistic inspirations we have enjoyed working with each other ever since. Steve is an artist, musician and creator. Living in Clonakilty, West Cork since 1990 he continues to work as a DJ, musician & producer, furniture maker, illustrator & wildlife artist. Our best known collaborations were the Honeymoon Chaise and Rave Tables. We worked together showing various collections at 100% Design. He came over last year and assisted with ‘Death Con’ but sadly the follow up sessions were cancelled because of lockdown. With a background in fine art and an accomplished illustrator, he has since expanded into a number of different areas of design, interiors, music and film.

David Constable David has been a pioneer in wax for over 40 years and runs his company Candle Makers Supplies. In the late 1970s I used to hang out after work in his workshops in West London learning how to make moulds and casting techniques. He was my mentor during this period and we developed and made the first Sphelix. He is the proud holder of a Royal Warrant for candles since 1996. He has supplied candles for films including Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sleepy Hollow, Gosford Park and more recently, Disney’s Cinderella and TV Shows includng Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, Poldark, Downton Abbey and Taboo.

Claudia Legge Claudia is a photographer based in London. She works and exhibits worldwide and is a qualified commercial diver. Her work has been in numerous group exhibitions including the Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition (2017). Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery (2018), the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy (2019) and the VIA Arts Prize at the Brazilian Embassy (2019). A big fan of her work, I wanted her take on a tricky brief to show the emotion of trees to go with my three sculptures which are bleeding, crying and caged.

Pangolin Foundry The bronze maestros are always spot on with their casting and patination expertise. A joy to work with and an amazing 3D set up.

Sonja Klingler Sonja has over 20 years experience working with hot glass and pursuing her work as an independent artist in her new studio in Somerset. Bella and I are very grateful for the help and skill that Sonja inputs into our work.

Ken Adlard Photography

Harry Larcombe Harry has worked for me for the last 3 years as a one day a week apprentice. Working at present as a gardener he is learning to adapt his green fingers and touch with plants into making things in wood. I am delighted our paths have crossed as he has been a great assistant in the build up to this show and is fast developing into an accomplished woodworker.

JOHNNY HAWKES, SUMMER 2020 41

32 Bruton Place (off Berkeley Square), London W1J 6NW · Tel +44(0)20 7499 0365 www.sladmorecontemporary.com ·

@sladmorecontemporary

Johnny Hawkes

Sladmore Contemporary

2020