Laurence Edwards’ five Walking Men (Bronze, 2018-2022, each h.240 cm) will be presented in the grounds of Blenheim Palace from 29 March – 14 June 2024.
While of a scale and material familiar from public memorials, the figures in British sculptor Laurence Edwards’ Walking Men are anti-heroic and seem to have come from the earth itself. Branches, leaves and clods of clay are woven through them, making it unclear where human and ground begin and end. The raw materials from which they have been cast, have been pushed, pulled and gouged into shape with a visceral energy that makes the artist’s act of creation palpable. The figures could be futuristic post-apocalyptic survivors or equally from an ancient mythological world. Powerfully expressive, their uncertain demeanours reflect current human anxieties, and yet cast in bronze they also seem enduring and timeless.
Edwards comments, “These five 8ft ancient bronze figures pass through an iconic English view, on their search for a place, where have they come from, where are they going, what are they thinking?”
Art historian Wilfrid Wright describes the walking men as, “an echo of prehistory; naked, timeless archetypes, walking through our world but not fully part of it, silently observing, questioning, perhaps judging. To encounter them is to encounter a version of ourselves, and to be confronted with the reality of what we have become and where we are going.”
Heather Cater, Managing Director, Blenheim Palace comments, “We are delighted to welcome Laurence Edwards’ five Walking Men to Blenheim Palace. These remarkable pieces set against the backdrop of the Palace allow our visitors to experience art at its most incredible within an awe-inspiring setting. This installation is with us until 14 June 2024, and we encourage people to visit us quickly to enjoy and appreciate these pieces”.