Hidden within a few unassuming Cornish farm sheds, a world of all-immersing art sits in wait ready to engulf those lucky enough to enter. Over the course of several decades the late artist Ray Exworth dedicated every spare moment to building bizarre and brilliant assemblages that expand far beyond any simple definition of ‘sculpture’ or ‘installation’.
Using all possible materials at his disposal – be they nails, wood offcuts, bodily plaster casts, discarded signage or enormous metal doors – he set about gluing, nailing, drilling and painting to produce his own unique forms of Gesamtkunstwerk.
Exworth’s Creative Process
Invariably working in solitude, Ray Exworth rarely invited guests into his private space, which can be more accurately described as a collection of sheds, barns, studios and workshops. He preferred instead to surround himself with materials so dense that it was practically impossible to move around.
Photographer Jem Southam, who first befriended Exworth and his wife, Susie, in the early 1980s, captured a few images during his first tour, but it was only after Exworth’s death that he returned to individually document the seven spaces with both a digital and a large-plate camera.
Southam says, ‘On my first visit he wanted a few pictures for a grant application,’ Southam took 12 in total, and although he visited many times and they became good friends, Exworth never again in his lifetime let him inside the sheds with a camera.
Exworth’s Background and Inspiration
There was never any clear purpose to Exworth’s ongoing endeavour, beyond the pure joy of creation. That being said, he was far from an outsider in the art world. He studied at the Royal College of Art and exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1975, having successfully established a new sculpture department at Falmouth School of Art, where he made work alongside his students.
In 1976, he set about his most ambitious project, known as ‘The Circus’, which he worked on six days a week over the course of ten years. Originally inspired by Piccadilly Underground station and the passage of life from light to dark, it became a whirling mass of cascading, interconnected and interlinked objects that fills what is best described as a barn, and which spread into other sheds, too.
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Southam recalls that staff from Manchester’s Cornerhouse gallery got wind of the project, and proposed building a gigantic circus tent to house the artwork in its entirety. Southam says, ‘It was a wonderful idea, but when they visited the practicalities of deconstructing and then reassembling everything proved impossible.’
Preserving Exworth’s Legacy
Despite this setback, Ray Exworth had better luck when the Arts Council came calling. A report from a member of the purchasing committee describes the sheds as ‘a mass of plaster, wood, papier-mâché, wire and goodness knows what else, modelled, carved and partly assembled to fill, like the visitors, every available cranny.’
They were flummoxed as to what was actually feasible for purchase, so they settled on several wooden boxes filled with tableaux, thus functioning as microcosms of the much larger, unwieldy sheds.
Exworth’s constructions were certainly not without peril. His circuitous modes of production meant that pieces easily defined as artistic constructions were surrounded by many other forms of detritus ready for their moment in the sun, be it flotsam and jetsam from a nearby beach, tins of paint, boxes of pins or piles of magazines.
Exworth’s work reflects a desire to challenge traditional notions of art and creativity. By working in solitude and using a wide range of materials, Exworth was able to create a unique and immersive world that is both fascinating and thought-provoking.
Taking in these photographs, it is almost unfathomable that one man could create on such a scale, and hold so many disparate parts in his mind. It is regrettable too, that one day these constructions might disappear, and Southam’s book will thus serve as a vital record of an artist’s hidden legacy.
Southam explains: ‘Exworth’s sculptural imagination, the variety of materials that he used, and the skill level that he showed, is nothing short of astonishing.’ The book, ‘Ray’s Sheds’ by Jem Southam, is published by Raft and available via RRB Photobooks.
The book is a sign of Exworth’s creativity and skill, and it will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in his work.
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It is a full collection of photographs that showcase Exworth’s unique style and artistic vision.
The photographs in the book are a subtle representation of Exworth’s work, and they provide a fascinating glimpse into his creative process.
Exworth’s work is a complex and complex reflection of his personality and artistic vision.
His use of a wide range of materials and techniques is a key aspect of his work, and it sets him apart from other artists.
Exworth’s legacy is a vital part of the art world, and his work continues to inspire and influence artists to this day.
The preservation of his work is a key aspect of his legacy, and it is essential that his constructions are protected and preserved for future generations.
Southam’s book is an important step in preserving Exworth’s legacy, and it will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in his work.
