Hamlet memorably asked “What is this quintessence of dust?”, and these words are beautifully transcribed into the work of promising sculptor, Tony Charles, who uses rust and steel particles as his primary material for his stunning visual spectacles, collectively named ‘ Vestiges.’
I pottered past the artist mid-installation earlier this week and was struck by the meticulous detail and delicate touch required. A card template of an oriental rug is laid on the floor outlining the hand drawn pattern and Charles crouches on the floor sprinkling dust of orange and blue hues into the gaps fraction by fraction. The intricacy of the design and standards Charles has become known for are open to full admiration at the contemporary art company murmurART’s new showroom at 20 Hoxton Square. He even manages to represent frayed tassels of the rug.
In ‘Vestiges’ Charles explores the issues and tensions between craftsmanship and mass production, the domestic and the industrial.Nowhere more acutely has art for art’s sake between so pertinent. For following in the vein of Turner Prize winner Richard Wright, Charles’ ‘carpet’ will soon be vacuumed away, so catch it while you can.
For more information visit www.murmurart.com
