Stone is one of humanity’s oldest creative materials. It records geological time, preserves cultural memory, and carries the traces of every hand that has shaped it.
MATTER brings together three distinguished British sculptors whose practices reveal the enduring expressive power of carved stone through distinctly contemporary voices.
Presented within the atmospheric vaulted spaces of The Crypt Gallery, the exhibition explores the relationship between material, form and time. Each artist approaches stone differently using abstraction, symbolism, archaeology, landscape and the human figure. All share an intimate understanding of the material’s history, resistance and quiet permanence.
The exhibition invites visitors to experience sculpture not simply as object, but as presence. Works that embody weight, balance, touch and geological memory. From finely worked marble to rugged limestone, the exhibition demonstrates the remarkable breadth of contemporary stone carving in Britain today.
Jason Mulligan’s sculptures draw from the language of archaeology, ancient artefacts and talismanic objects that evoke ritual without direct reference. Rooted in the material history of stone, these works carry the resonance of something unearthed rather than carved.
Guy Stevens work gives rise to enigmatic stone beings, creatures that come from abstraction, places in the back of the mind, lost imagery that gets trapped in matter, released in the sheer physical effort applied to each stone. A child like need to play, find humour and question perceptions of meaning and place lead his practice.
Paul Vanstone is renowned for his hand-carved marble and onyx works, which draw on classical sculptural traditions while revealing the unique character of each stone.
His sculptures explore the contrast between strength and softness, transforming solid material into flowing drapery, organic forms, and the subtle contours of the human figure.
MATTER SCULPTURE EXHIBITION 2026©While each practice is unique, together they form a conversation about permanence in an increasingly transient world.
MATTER celebrates stone not as an historical medium, but as one that continues to evolve through contemporary artistic practice.
“Stone asks for patience. Every mark is irreversible, every decision considered. In an age of speed, carving remains an act of attention.”
