Simon Hitchens FRSS

"My sculptures subtly investigate the essence of the things we perceive: the physical world, nature and our place within it. I am fascinated by rock: historically as a medium to make sculpture, physically as the very earth that supports us and geologically as the almost ageless constant that resonates through time, giving perspective to our lives on this planet."

In the age of the Anthropogenic it seems pertinent to question how we comprehend the geological and human worlds as united, interconnected even. Hitchens believes there is increasingly a disconnect between these two worlds which is harmful not only to the planet but also our psyche. Consequently, rock is the conceptual focus of his work and typically the material backbone within it. His work questions differences between animate and inanimate, more specifically rock and flesh, mountain and body; exploring themes of time and transience. His work explores the numinous: a line of inquiry into the nature of being.

His large-scale public commissions for private companies, public bodies and town councils are always concerned with the specifics of place whilst retaining the integrity of his sculptural voice. Over the years he has built a robust ability to proactively work alongside art consultants, property developers, planners, project managers, builders, architects and engineers etc. in order to deliver projects of the highest calibre. They can be seen in many locations across England.

He makes minimal, even poetic, sculptures that belie the technical difficulty and drama of their making, typically exploring contrasts of all kinds with an economy of means that has become his trademark.

Simon Hitchens graduated in Fine Art from the University of the West of England in 1990 and his work has been exhibited around the world since then. He frequently exhibits in solo and group exhibitions, undertaking private commissions and numerous large-scale public commissions. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 1998, is an RWA Academician, is the fourth generation of artist in his family and is represented by CLOSE Ltd.