This is a world-class contemporary sculpture exhibition which opens at Chester Cathedral on 7 July and continues until 15 October 2017. It will be the largest modern sculpture exhibition to be held in the north west of England and will feature ninety works by over fifty internationally renowned sculptors including Damien Hirst, Anthony Gormley, Lynn Chadwick, Barbara Hepworth, Sarah Lucas, David Mach, Kenneth Armitage, Peter Randall-Page and Jon Buck, amongst others.
This exhibition takes place within the magnificent interior of Chester cathedral with the sculptures seen against the backdrop of the magnificent gothic architecture and the beautiful ancient spaces surrounding it. Several sculptures have made especially for this exhibition whilst others have been borrowed for public view from private collections.
The exhibition takes its title ‘ARK’ to be variously defined: not just the archetypal biblical vessel but also as any container or place of refuge that protects valued items. The cathedral itself can also be seen as ark-like in its traditional role as a place of sanctuary and a space for people to gather. Many of the sculptures in this exhibition can be interpreted in this metaphorical context as vessels and animal forms and as such empathise with the myriad of creatures that appear woven into the fabric of the cathedral. The cathedral, symbolised as an ARK, embraces them all.