Fair Art Fair x The Auction Collective

The works are part of a series that began during the Covid lockdown when I became interested in natural objects inside being a means to connect to the outside. They explore the collaboration and collision between the anthropomorphic spirit of natural boulders, with manmade paint, soot, graphite and precious metal leaf. Each character’s form, colour, balance and texture are intuitively choreographed and in dialogue with itself and within each grouping. Activated by light or placement, they play with our perception of scale as both decorated object and compressed landscape. Heightening or reframing our relationship to nature through their terrain.

“I make sculpture to attain clarity and connection in life. My practice is intuitive, craft and material driven, often site-specific; reflecting the intersection where natural and manmade worlds collaborate or collide through form, placement or mark making. I work with the essential qualities of earth derived and synthetic materials; and I’m interested in marks of use created consciously or unconsciously, exposing evidence of interaction, touch or the passing of time. By capturing these subtle or stark relationships through sculpture I feel I’m attempting to establish a kind of order and balance, as well as intimacy and dialogue with the landscape”.

Following her BA in Fine Art Liz Middleton was awarded a two-year artist-in-residence position from the Hampshire Sculpture Trust, before moving into studio leadership roles for innovative architectural practices Future Systems and Heatherwick Studio.

In 2017 she completed an MA from the City and Guilds of London Art School in Historical Stone and Letter Carving, where she received a number of prizes for drawing and carving including the ‘Outstanding Work by a Graduating Student’ Award. As an emerging artist she won a ‘Clyde & Co Art Award’ and Federation of British Artists Futures Award’ and was shortlisted for ‘The Ingram Prize’. 

Recently Middleton installed an ambitious 8m tall site-specific sculpture for the King’s High School for Girls in Warwick, which became a regional ‘Civic Trust Awards’ finalist; and has exhibited in a number of exhibitions including Wells Art Contemporary, Air Gallery Open, ING Discerning Eye and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

Middleton is currently working with a community in Ebbsfleet on an aspirational ‘creative identity’ public art project of trees and sculptural drawings.