I decide to write on the hottest day of the year. The heat radiates from the concrete city like waves of a mirage. The taps of my keyboard are sticky in the thick air and I wish for goosebumps and condensated breath, like thick fog. I think back to the cave. The silence. No birdsong, no traffic, no distant electrical hum. Down into the cold earth. Hard men were forged from this ore. Ancient pigments. Ochres. Skilled hands created form. Placed deep underground like ancient artifacts from distant times.
David Mach – Spike 2011.
Curated by Pangolin Gallery, ‘Back to the Cave’ is a vast sculptural exhibition across 10 caverns in the Forest of Dean. I’ve visited a lot of places in the pursuit of art but underground was definitely a first. Clearwell Caves are on the outskirts of Coleford in Gloucestershire, close to the boarder of Wales. From Bristol it took around an hour and once off the motorway it was rolling hills and beautiful valleys all the way. The caves were mined for iron ore but large-scale work stopped in 1945 but Clearwell’s history dates as far back as the Stone age. Alongside the iron ore, ochre pigments have been collected from the earth on this site for thousands of years and are still being mined on site today and used by artists all over the world. A perfect prehistoric backdrop for modern and contemporary art sculpture.
With over 40 internationally renowned artists taking part I was already excited to see work by artists I already admired, such as Hirst, Lucas, Hambling and Morgan. But with so much to see, I was soon circling names on the map of the sculptures I loved, eager to learn more about each artist. Here are a few of my favourites.
Daniel Chadwick – Whale 2003
Perfectly placed. Like excavating a creature from long ago. The acrylic forms float above an underground pool. I’m unsure if we are with a creature under the sea or a flock of birds soaring across a sky. A fixed work of art that feels in constant motion.
Stik – The Ochre Man 2022.
Stik is well known for his bold stick figures painted on buildings across the world but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as appropriately located as The Ochre Man. Commission especially for the exhibition this figure is painted directly onto the cave wall using the raw ochre mined on site. The position is perfect, as the stick man appears to be holding back the rock or emerging from it like a prehistoric cave painting. The Ochre man was created using only the natural pigments with permission from the family who own the mine. He watches over you like a stone age deity as you pass by, showing you the way to go.
Abigail Fallis – Dagon 2017.
A strange creature from the Ark of God. A deity worshiped thousands of years ago. Half man, half fish – representing the earth and the sea. Dagon. The twist of bones, unsure where this creature begins and ends. Placed on a small island of rocks in a pool, reflective and quiet. At the back of the cave, a painting of a skeleton on the wall. Is this an offering, an alter or a grave? The composition of both is harmoniously macabre. I instantly love it. But I love even more the story of the strange cave painting that I discover in the gift shop later. In the 1970s a group of people broke into the mine to have a large party that lasted several days. They commemorated their event by leaving the painted skeleton as a practical joke. The caves first piece of modern art!
These are just a few of the works I loved. The whole show was amazing not just because of the high calibre of art and artists but because it felt like an adventure. The caves go down to a depth of 100 feet and I wasn’t prepared for how cold it got (take a hoodie). Also, the damp in the air and maybe even the iron ore in the rock messed with my camera but my phone seemed to be fine. The exhibition continues until 29th August 2022 and tickets are £9.50 each.
For more information check out the website clearwellcaves.com