Conflux: A Union of the Scared and the Anonymous: Salisbury Cathedral

23 July - 31 October 2011

The largest exhibition to date of Sean Henry's work is set in the spectacular surroundings of Salisbury Cathedral. 

 

Conflux brings together sculptures of dramatically different scales by this innovative artist, occupying vacant plinths and open spaces on both the inside and the exterior of this iconic 13th century building, creating a confluence of sculpture - Henry's modern anonymous figures alongside the Cathedral's medieval and classical collection. 

 

Sean Henry's artwork celebrates the fragile individuality of anonymous men and women, challenging the viewer to contrast them with the timelessness and indestructibility of the building, with its memorials to important historical figures and the glories of the faith. For the Cathedral community it offers an opportunity to remind visitors that the wide-ranging emotions and frailties displayed in the work are as relevant inside this living church as the refined memorials and celebrations of faith that have adorned the walls for generations. 

 

It is a union that invites us to contemplate the role of the Cathedral today and the evolving nature of art in religious environments.