Kenny Hunter - Sculpture Court

For sculptor Kenny Hunter the monument is a form in flux. Sculpture Court, his new exhibition for Aberdeen Art Gallery, is both a provocation and a reflection on the role of public artforms such as the traditional monument.

Monuments are loaded with meaning, they stand as testaments to our social and political pasts, reinforcing historical legacies that continue to shape our world today. As objects in the public realm they address us all and have an active and serious role in defining collective memory. This in turn informs opinion, shapes social groups, and ultimately constitutes national identity.

Hunter presents his sculptures here against the magnificent backdrop of Aberdeen’s Art Gallery’s classically-inspired Sculpture Court as ambiguous and open to varied interpretation. Today, the original power and purpose of the monument can seem incongruous. Their failings, fragility, and fallibility are widely acknowledged.