The first frost has been and gone, and now a gentler cold drapes over the city. I have just finished up at work, making sure things are in motion for some unfortunately sizeable art sales, keeping the business ticking. Too much logistics, admin, not enough art.

Humanos has been in my calendar for a while. As a fan of sculpture, and already admirable of Saan1, I had high hopes for this exhibition. I am pleased to say that my hopes were met.

Platforming the work of some incredible ceramicists, sculptors, artists, the exhibition gave everyone the spotlight, and everyone delivered. Over the three floors, each artist’s voice, method, and signature came through.

I was familiar with Pippa Eason’s work, having visited her show at PINK. Here, it was interesting to see elements from it in conversation on the ground floor. Her artwork clung to the walls, hid low in corners, punctuating the presence of the other artists. Her philosophy and exploration of the process of making shines through the misshapen arches and rippling spines of her art.

On the second floor, a viewing gallery of playful figures stares you down. Their gaze sticks to you. Created by Victoria Ellis, these rooted, reserved figures have an awful lot of character to them. Through simple arches, Ellis presents an array of totem-like, doll-like creations. Their faces are highly expressive through the simplest of lines. Both charming and aloof, it feels like they’re keeping a secret from you. As if they know some fundamental secret that you don’t. Chimeric, folksy and innovative, I cannot praise them enough.

The orbs and bulbs of Nastassia Blahadava are very strong. Technically impressive and aesthetically engrossing is Nest of Angels. This Hepworth-esque form twists in such a way that I simply cannot understand how it stays together as one unified object. Her other works sport beautiful glazes or burst from their expected regularity.

 There is a great tenderness to Simge Vurtak’s figures. Particularly one who is tending to a horse. They radiate compassion and care and a gentleness. A sense of connection between people, and with the natural world. There is no rush or urgency only consideration and thoughtfulness.

Maite Villamor brings protean figures emerging from something unknown and primordial. Their torsos are more defined, slightly slumped, as if tired from the act of creation. Their heads are exposed and empty, perhaps waiting. Each work is titled with bold strong words: rupture, uncarried, unholding. I sense they carry themes of post-natal bereavement, but that seems a particularly pointed reading.

The plant-like forms of Beverly Meyer hang suspended, unbeholden to gravity, in a fantastical light. They become coral-like, underwater, floating. It is a microcosm of a world quite unlike our own. Their assemblage conjures up a lot of visual intrigue, their impact extending with the rays of light passing through.

Chris Phillips pointedly displays his works on a cobbler’s workstation. These strange homunculi appear as if caught in the act of their own creation. Visceral fleshly colours mix with metallic patinas, a blend of the biological and mechanical. There is something mischievous, something Frankensteinian, here.

Of course, I have not mentioned every exhibiting sculpture. I would highly recommend checking this out yourself. There are workshops running alongside the show, and the majority of artworks are for sale. Running until next Monday (01/12/2025) the show is free to visit.