Artist's Statement

My passion is for the human body and for capturing the intangible sense of life, mood and energy that solid flesh conveys. I am intrigued by the subtleties of emotion and individuality expressed by our body language and our ability to read and respond to it. I am particularly fascinated by the process of manipulating materials to create 'made' bodies and our instinct to relate to these in the same way.

I have explored this interactive quality from different standpoints - through automata where the viewer's action supplies the energy of the figure's movement, through portraiture in clay/bronze where we perceive not only mood but also personality, and most recently through wire mesh.

The illusory nature of wire mesh makes it the perfect medium to express the duality of our bodies - intangible self as physical form.

Background and CV

I have been a driven maker since childhood, and succumbed to sculpture full time in 1999, after fulfilling careers in advertising and design, combined with family life. I did my foundation at Reigate School of Art, followed by a BA (Hons) at Wimbledon, graduating in 2003.

I studied under Allan Sly, one of the country's foremost figurative sculptors, specialising in life sculpture, working from the nude - male and female. I learned the classical aesthetic and technical skills as summarised by Edouard Lanteri, mentor and intimate friend of Rodin, in contemporary form.

I combined this with study of mechanical and kinetic art pursuing themes of energy and movement, human and elemental, and the relationship between them. Both lines of study continue to underpin my work.

CURRICULUM VITAE Nikki Taylor BA (Hons), Sculptor
Dorking, Surrey
Tel: 01306 882 685
e-mail: website:	contact@nikkitaylorsculpture.co.uk www.nikkitaylorsculpture.co.uk
Education
2000-2003 BA (Hons) Wimbledon School of Art, studying under Allan Sly 1999-2000 Reigate School of Art, Surrey 1971-1975 BA General Arts, University of Manchester (Soc. Sciences & French) 1964-1971 Westcliff High School for Girls, Essex
Selected Commissions
2011 Lifesize mesh sculpture of Olympic Sprinter Jason Gardener MBE 2010 Lifesize mesh sculpture of Olympic diver Tom Daley 2010 'Open Hands' sculpture for Chelsea Flower Show competition garden entry 2009 Full figure lifesize mesh sculpture for Thomas Hoblyn Garden Design for competition garden in Chelsea Flower Show. 2008 Lifesize male body portrait in steel mesh. 2007 Lifesize bronze grandfather and grandson full figure portraits. 2007 Lifesize metal mesh torso portrait of pregnant woman 2005 Portrait head of Sibelius in bronze
Selected Exhibitions
2010 Affordable Art Fair Battersea and Bristol, together with Chelsea, Cambridge and Edinburgh Art Fairs 2010 Chelsea Flower Show, commissioned sculpture on 'The Waterless Water Garden' by Tomoko Osonoe and Kei Iwata 2010 Art, Design and a Taste of Summer, Blenheim Palace, Oxon 2010 Surrey Open Studios 2010 Maundy Todd Summer and Winter exhibitions 2010 Esemplastic charity exhibition, Itchenor 2009 Affordable Art Fair Battersea and Bristol, and Chelsea, Cambridge and Edinburgh Art Fairs 2009 Courtyard Sculpture Exhibition, Leonardslee Gardens, Horsham 2009 Society of Women Artists, The Mall Galleries, London 2009 Chelsea Flower Show, Thomas Hoblyn’s competition garden 2009 Maundy Todd sculpture garden 2009 Surrey Open Studios 2009 Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxon 2009 Heavy Metal, Fragile Soul exhibition, Derbyshire 2008 Affordable Art Fair Battersea, and Chelsea, Cambridge, Bristol and Edinburgh Art Fairs. 2008 Sculpture trails with Surrey Sculpture Society at Borde Hill, RHS Garden Wisley and Vivartis. 2008 Fircroft Summer Exhibition, Albury, Surrey 2008 Artspace, Barn Galleries, Henley-on-Thames 2007 The Islington Contemporary Art & Design Fair 2007 The Savil Garden, The Crown Estate, Egham 2007 Loseley Park, Guildford 2007 RHS Garden, Wisley 2007 The Affordable Art Fair, London 2006 Studio 95, London 2006 Vivartis Arts Festival, nr Godalming 2006 Borde Hill Garden, Haywards Heath 2006 The Art House, Westbourne 2006 RHS Garden, Wisley 2006 Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking 2005 The Harvey Gallery, Guildford 2005 Polesden Lacey, Leatherhead 2004 The Savil Garden, The Crown Estate, Egham 2004 Painshill Park, Cobham 2004 Musee des Automates, Paris 2003 A Cabaret Mechanical Christmas, the gallery @ oxo, London
Additional Experience
2005-2007 Annual participation in Surrey Open Studio scheme 2005 Private head sculpting course at my studio 2006-2007 Sculpture tutor part-time, Bletchingley Centre, East Surrey College 2005-2007 Committee member of Surrey Sculpture Soc, now member only 1975-1999 10 year career in advertising followed by family life and self employment in interior design.
Media
2011 (First issue of New Italian culture magazine) April issue, p 30, photo of FREE 2. 2011 BBC1 'Waking the Dead', 20 March, series 9, 'Care' Part 1, inclusion of FLIGHT in set. 2010 Chelsea Flower Show programme, photo of THE GUARDIAN from previous year. May 2010, Channel 4, The Landscape Man, 3rd episode, ‘Chevington’ my sculpture shown at Chelsea Flower Show then re-positioned in the final garden. May 2009, BBC2 Chelsea Flower Show. Inclusion of my ‘Guardian’ sculpture in Thomas Hoblyn’s competition garden. Dec 29 2003 Radio 4, Woman’s Hour. Interview as part of Cabaret Mechanical Festival feature.