AN ACCLAIMED artist has reimagined Rugby Art Gallery and Museum in a series of sculptures which celebrate and explore the venue’s architecture and collections.
Michael Shaw’s new exhibition, Sculpting The Museum, opens on Saturday January 28 and features a colossal inflatable sculpture as its centrepiece.
The breathing sculpture, INF21, was inspired by the building’s architecture, and will dominate the main gallery.
Sculpting The Museum also features a range of pieces inspired by items from the Art Gallery and Museum’s collections, with Shaw exploring and celebrating Rugby’s industrial heritage.
The exhibition places Shaw’s sculptures next to the collection items from which he drew inspiration, bringing fresh insights into the work of the unsung heroes of design who worked in the town’s manufacturing industry.
Shaw specialises in resin, inflated PVC, neon, plastic and rubber sculptures which explore space, light, translucency and transparency.
He has reimagined a number of other historic buildings through sculpture, including London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Varna Palace in Aarhus, Denmark.
Shaw has also exhibited in Rome, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin and Florence.
Sculpting The Museum runs at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum from Saturday January 28 to Saturday March 25.
Rugby Borough Council growth and investment spokeswoman Coun Heather Timms said: “We’re delighted to welcome an artist of Michael Shaw’s stature to Rugby and host an exhibition truly unique to our Art Gallery and Museum.
“The centrepiece of Sculpting The Museum promises to generate a great deal of interest and discussion, and entertain visitors both young and old.”
Visit www.ragm.co.uk for more information.
