Arts & Culture

Bronze sculpting by Kabir Hussain

Mapping Norfolk is a new exhibition of work by artist Kabir Hussain that has been created under the influence of Norfolk's patchwork landscape, big skies and rolling coastline.

From the salt marshes of north Norfolk to the Broads and the flatlands of the Fens, at the centre of the show are large works in bronze that form a 'sculptural map of Norfolk'. Photography and drawing by the artist is also on display.

"The sculpture is the focal point of my work," said Kabir.

"The photography and the drawing is there to inform and compliment the artwork in order to give the viewer more of a window and access to appreciate it."

Emigrating to England

Born in Punjab, Pakistan, in 1960 Kabir emigrated to England with his family aged seven where they settled in Yorkshire. His fascination with the landscape stems from his memories of the terrain he saw from the aeroplane on this journey.

Kabir made Norfolk his home with a move to King's Lynn in 2001 after many happy holidays in the county as a child. He's now a master bronze founder with more than 17 years experience.

"We used to come on holiday in Norfolk and then eventually I ended up living here. When I first visited the county I was struck by its expansive nature, now I feel it's the time to adopt it for formal study," said Kabir.

Landscape by Kabir Hussain (detail)

"Over time you become more appreciative of your immediate surroundings, as I have of Norfolk after living here. I feel a familiarity with it and have an attachment to it that I wish to build upon.

"I've always made work about landscape. I've travelled to India and Peru, I've lived in Wales and Africa. When I've been going out on trips here, I've always been overwhelmed by Norfolk's big sky.

"I like to make work that gradually informs the viewer and the Norfolk landscape does that, it gradually tells the viewer what's happening. There is a drama, but it is slow and it gently evolves," he added.

Land, sea and air

Kabir embarked on a number of journeys across Norfolk in preparation for the exhibition, starting in King's Lynn where he took a fresh look at some of the routes that have become familiar to him over the years.

From there he moved down the coast to explore the mud flats of Snettisham and the expansive views seen from locations which include Ten Mile Bank, Salthouse Church and Sheringham.

Hussain then went inland visiting Thetford Forest and the Norfolk Broads. 

The bronzes that form the core of the exhibition have been cast at the AB Fine Art Foundry in London using a combination of bronze, wax and paper to form delicate textures and shapes giving them the immediacy and intimacy of a watercolour.

Kabir prepares work for his exhibition

"You get several issues you can't address in the sculpture like the colour and the expanse [of Norfolk], even the mood which comes across more overwhelmingly in my photography - but because I'm used to handling the bronze and the colours I can see its limitation so I seek to use other medium [like photography] to inform the artwork.

"Bronze is quite a raw material, you can bring to it what you want as you colour it through the use of different chemicals.

"When you heat the bronze and the chemical reactions, what you're doing is actually speeding up the ageing process. I find that is like the landscape evolving through time."

Mapping Norfolk runs in The Link at the Sainsbury Centre until Sunday, 31 August, 2008.

Concurrent Exhibitions

Constructed: 40 Years of the UEA Collection - is a major exhibition of the UEA Collection Of Abstract And Constructivist Art, Architecture And Design.

Margaret Mellis: A Life in Colour - celebrates the career of the Suffolk-based artist Margaret Mellis and features more than 60 paintings and sculptures from her extensive career.

Both exhibitions run until December, 2008.