London, Pangolin Gallery, Exorcising the Fear, 11 January – 3 March 2012 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 55);
Woking, The Lightbox, Bodies! The Ingram Collection, 21 November 2015 – 31 January 2016
Geoffrey Clarke had a unique technique for creating his sculptures. By forming models from polystyrene and then creating castings in aluminum directly from these models, Clarke was able to work at a more rapid pace than with other techniques. In addition to working in sculpture Clarke created etchings. In his youth his father worked as an architect. It was customary for his father to work on his architectural etchings around the house. The two would often sketch together. This directly inspired Clarke’s use of etching later in his career. Symbolic, abstract figures of man are a recurring theme in Clarke’s work. He said, “I have always been conscious of this very delicate life form surrounded by an outer shell which protects it…The man in armour…the man who hides his character.” This sculpture relates closely to a small iron work, entitled Complexities of Man, shown at the Venice Biennale in 1952.
