Fine Art Profile
John Atkin’s sculpture explores movement, structure and the relationship between the human body, material and space. Working across intimate studio pieces and monumental public sculpture, his practice has developed through a continuing investigation of how physical form can embody gesture, rhythm and movement.
Drawing remains fundamental to this process. Lines traced through the movement of the body, the folds and trajectories of garments, and the forces found within landscape and architecture are developed through drawing, modelling and digital processes before being translated into three-dimensional form. Traditional making and contemporary technologies coexist within the studio, from direct work with physical materials to digital modelling, large-scale 3D printing, casting and fabrication.
Atkin’s recent sculptures have increasingly explored the boundary between abstraction and the figure. Works such as Heirloom, inspired by the flowing water-sleeve movements of Cantonese Opera, transform a fleeting human gesture into a monumental bronze form. Confluence, created for One Shenzhen Bay, similarly investigates movement through intersecting currents and continuous surfaces, drawing upon the tidal rhythms of the Pearl River Delta and historical Chinese visual traditions.
These works continue concerns present throughout Atkin’s practice: the transformation of movement into form, the tension between mass and fluidity, and the ability of sculpture to alter our perception of place. Earlier monumental works including Strange Meeting, created for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Cultural Olympiad, and Zhengzhou Twister established an enduring engagement with scale, material and public space.
Across bronze, stone, stainless steel, drawing and digitally mediated processes, the work moves between physical making and technological experimentation while remaining centred upon the expressive possibilities of sculptural form.
rial and space. Working across intimate studio pieces and monumental public sculpture, his practice has developed through a continuing investigation of how physical form can embody gesture, rhythm and movement.
Drawing remains fundamental to this process. Lines traced through the movement of the body, the folds and trajectories of garments, and the forces found within landscape and architecture are developed through drawing, modelling and digital processes before being translated into three-dimensional form. Traditional making and contemporary technologies coexist within the studio, from direct work with physical materials to digital modelling, large-scale 3D printing, casting and fabrication.
Atkin’s recent sculptures have increasingly explored the boundary between abstraction and the figure. Works such as Heirloom, inspired by the flowing water-sleeve movements of Cantonese Opera, transform a fleeting human gesture into a monumental bronze form. Confluence, created for One Shenzhen Bay, similarly investigates movement through intersecting currents and continuous surfaces, drawing upon the tidal rhythms of the Pearl River Delta and historical Chinese visual traditions.
These works continue concerns present throughout Atkin’s practice: the transformation of movement into form, the tension between mass and fluidity, and the ability of sculpture to alter our perception of place. Earlier monumental works including Strange Meeting, created for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Cultural Olympiad, and Zhengzhou Twister established an enduring engagement with scale, material and public space.
Across bronze, stone, stainless steel, drawing and digitally mediated processes, the work moves between physical making and technological experimentation while remaining centred upon the expressive possibilities of sculptural form.
Inside the Sculpture Studio
Practice Profile
John Atkin is an international artist, personally sponsored by Henry Moore to attend the Royal College of Art (1982 -1985).
He is a multi-award-winning artist with a studio-focussed practice that successfully delivers the design & build of innovative landmark artworks to the public realm and private space. He has exhibited his work at The Peggy Guggenheim Museum Italy, Museum of Modern Art Melbourne, New Orleans Museum of Art USA, Royal Academy of Arts London, Venice Biennale, etc. His public sculpture output occupies prominent locations, such as Olympic Park Beijing, McMurtry Gardens of Justice Toronto, Fillmore Plaza San Francisco, Beetham Towers Liverpool and Covent Garden London, etc. He has worked extensively with, Developers, Landscape Architects, Local Councils, Municipal Government, here and overseas.
The Studio
John Atkin has been based in SW London for more than twenty-years and accesses the best technical and academic experience to deliver high-quality artworks for exhibition, as well as the public realm. The team comprises, scientists, engineers, fabricators, foundry expertise, structural engineers, digital modelling, lighting specialists, user-centred design, urban factors, additive manufacturing, film makers, community consultation, UX design.
Scope of Practice
John Atkins’ work has achieved a global presence and can be seen as far afield as, Beijing, San Francisco, Toronto and throughout the UK and Ireland.
He has lectured at numerous institutions worldwide including, Boston University, Tsinghua University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Kansas City Art Institute, Hartford University, Sydney College of the Arts, Victoria College Melbourne, The Curtin Institute Perth, etc. He is Honorary fellow, National Academy of Sculpture Beijing, and Fellow at the Royal Society of Sculptors, London.