Born England 1967
Education
1990 BA Hons Fine Art, University of the West of England - UWE
1998 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors - RSS
2018 Elected Academician to Royal West of England Academy - RWA
Simon Hitchens graduated in Fine Art from the University of the West of England in 1990 and his work has been exhibited around the world since then. He frequently exhibits in solo and group exhibitions, undertaking private commissions and numerous large-scale public commissions. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 1998, is an RWA Academician and is the fourth generation of artist in his family.
In the age of the Anthropogenic it seems pertinent to question how we comprehend the geological and human worlds as united, interconnected even. Hitchens believes there is increasingly a disconnect between these two worlds which is harmful not only to the planet but also our psyche. Consequently, rock is the conceptual focus of his work and typically the material backbone within it. His work questions differences between animate and inanimate, more specifically rock and flesh, mountain and body; exploring themes of time and transience. His work explores the numinous: a line of inquiry into the nature of being.
His large-scale public commissions for private companies, public bodies and town councils are always concerned with the specifics of place whilst retaining the integrity of his sculptural voice. Over the years he has built a robust ability to proactively work alongside art consultants, property developers, planners, project managers, builders, architects and engineers etc. in order to deliver projects of the highest calibre. They can be seen in many locations across England.
He makes minimal, even poetic, sculptures that belie the technical difficulty and drama of their making, typically exploring contrasts of all kinds with an economy of means that has become his trademark.
Artist's statement
'My work explores interconnectedness between the human and the non-human, as a means to learning about Mankind’s relationship with impermanence. The material backbone of my work is rock in its raw and natural state. This is not carved and polished but sourced from the rock face or quarry floor.
I am acutely aware of the historical significance that stone has as the prime material to make sculpture, and, as a sculptor, am challenged to make art that contributes to this debate. As a climber I have an intimate relationship with rock, and am acutely aware that geologically, it is the very material that supports us upon this planet.'