Hidden Art Award Winner Gareth Neal has a new exhibition devoted to his recent work, beginning with the Anne table. The entire surface is striated with saw cuts of varying depths, and from certain angles the elegant profile of a Queen Anne-style console appears, complete with cabriole legs, as if hidden within the timber. The console was followed by a chest of drawers, called George III. New additions to this family of objects, made especially for this exhibition, include the Anne chair, and a series of classical vessel forms.
Neal’s willingness to embrace new technologies to complement traditional hand skills gives character to his furniture. The surfaces of the furniture were cut by a saw blade mounted on a CNC routing machine, enabling complex saw cuts – up to 800 for the George III chest of drawers.
A highlight of the exhibition will be the presence of Neal himself, transported from his Hackney workshop to the gallery to assemble a chest of drawers under the public’s gaze. As the title of his exhibition may suggest, he wants to introduce a performative aspect to the show enabling him to engage personally with his audience: he may even ask visitors to assist him. A time-lapse animation of the process will take his place later in the exhibition.
For more details see www.garethnealfurniture.co.uk.