This exhibition was displayed at Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden between 13 September 2024 and 29 March 2025. I researched, curated, and installed this show, starting with drawers of unframed works on paper and a collection of the artist’s moulds. I wanted to come up with a way of telling this underappreciated artist’s story and give visitors a sense of the man behind the work.
The exhibition was made up of three main components: a more formal exhibition of his sculptures and a selection of works on paper which I chose especially for the show; a documentary called The Secret Middle, which was played on a loop as visitors walked around the room and was kindly lent by the Yorkshire Film Archive (can be viewed here); and Austin Wright’s recreated studio.
His studio was originally located in an old barn behind his home in Upper Poppleton (North Yorkshire) and was a fascinating space. I was lucky enough to be sent an archive of photos by his son, Crispin Wright, which helped me immensely when I was building an image of the studio. Although I had a lot of his old moulds, broken or unfinished sculptures, and some incredibly well-preserved wax versions of his sculptures, I didn’t have any furniture or tools to bring the space to life. Conveniently, Thirsk Hall, being a 300-year-old house with a farm attached to it, had most of the items I needed in old storage rooms and stables.
I rewatched the documentary over and over while I was researching this exhibition, as it features Wright moving around the studio. Pausing and taking screenshots of anything I thought was necessary for the show. I dragged corrugated iron sheets, blocks of wood, and old farming tools into the space, filling every drawer and surface with detritus. I also sourced some things online that weren’t quite as easy to get hold of, such as an antique Wolf angle grinder and pages from Andreas Vesalius’ 1543 book De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem, which influenced Wright’s work immensely.
To read my exhibition text or to view the individual works which were shown please visit the Willoughby Gerrish website:
AUSTIN WRIGHT
I produced multiple instagram reels and posts to promote the show, these also act as archival material for the exhibition, more videos can be viewed on the Willoughby Gerrish instagram account (click here to view)
Videos
Once the show was over, I moved the studio into an old outbuilding within the grounds of Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden so it could be viewed by visitors as a permanent exhibit. I had to adapt the display to fit within the smaller confines of the building, which was a challenge; however, the space also gave me some freedom to explore ideas which I wasn’t able to realise within the gallery space, such as tracing Austin Wright’s handwriting onto one of the doors (seen below in the ‘shut plaster bag’ image).
The Barn
In Press
Gallery Handouts
