The British artist Gavin Turk has created a new public artwork Inspired by surrealist artistic methodologies and the 'myth' of the artist. The bronze sculpture depicts the Greek Goddess Ariadne as an exploration of a classical figure that invites the audience inside a larger metaphysical maze. The unveiling was attended by the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at a ceremony on Friday.
The internationally acclaimed sculptor Gavin Turk has unveiled a new artwork at the heart of the CB1 development in central Cambridge. The sculpture, named 'Ariadne Wrapped', is positioned outside the city's central station and described by the artist as an "out-of-focus classical form" that plays against the colonnades of the station itself.
Ariadne Wrapped depicts the mythical character of Ariadne, who in Greek mythology allegedly helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur; Ariadne was then taken to Naxos and abandoned there by Theseus. At first glance, Turk's work shows an object hidden in a dust sheet and bound with rope. The cloth, however, forms a vital part of the artwork, with Ariadne packaged up suggesting a constant state of transportation, accompanied by the bustle of passing trains as the figure remains stationary. The contrasting criss-cross ropes represent navigation lines, referencing new perspectives.
