Art@Site www.artatsite.com Nic Fiddian Green Horse at Water
Artist:

Nic Fiddian Green

Title:

Horse at Water

Year:
2014
Adress:
Via Fiori, TaiKoo Place
Website:
www.nicfiddiangreen.com:
Inspired by the horses of the Han Dynasty, the 16-feet-tall sculpture rests on the surface of a water pool, giving the illusion of the horse serenely drinking. The distinct cracks on the bronze surface portray a fractured form, emphasizing elements of time and history. Commissioned by Swire properties, the sculpture also symbolises good and long-lasting fortune to residents and office workers in the neighborhood.
'We’ve been talking to Nic for some time about creating something special for TaiKoo Place and he has come up with something which is beautiful and I think natural in the location,' Martin Cubbon, Swire Properties’ Chief Executive, said. 'The timing of the arrival of his creation makes it a great early Christmas present for the community around TaiKoo Place, and I’m sure ‘Horse at Water’ will become a talking point for residents, tenants and visitors to the area. Nic’s brilliant new sculpture reflects our long-term commitment to enriching the community by showcasing inspiring artworks at our properties.' 'It is a great honour for me to have been commissioned by Swire Properties to build a public monument for Hong Kong,I first saw images of the Horses of the Han and Tang Dynasties when I was a young student in London. Some thirty years later, inspired by the line, the grace and beauty of these ancient Chinese sculptures, I was invited to create my first interpretation for this site at TaiKoo Place to stand as a permanent reminder of the fragile past, an inspiration in the present, and a hopeful belief in the future for all those who may encounter this horse - the most noble of all animals - on their journey to and from their work.' Nic Fiddian Green 2014. Following on from Nic’s success at the 'Art of the Horse' show in Shanghai we are delighted to announce the successful installation of his 16 feet high 'Horse at Water ' at the landscaped garden Via Fiori at TaiKoo Place in central Hong Kong. Smaller studies for this stunning new work will be available in bronze and plaster from the gallery in 2015.

www.wikipedia.org:
Nic Fiddian-Green (born 1963) is a British sculptor, who specialises is making lifelike models of horses heads, both smaller and larger than life-sized. Fiddian-Green was educated at Eton College. Later, as a foundation-course student at Chelsea College of Arts he was sent on a visit to the British Museum to seek inspiration, and chanced upon a carving of horse's head, the horse of Selene, in the Elgin Marbles room there. He described it as"one of the most beautiful objects I'd ever seen". Shortly afterwards, he began to make works of similar subjects.

www.telegraph.co.uk:
I grew up with horses, which is strange given that my father was in the Navy. We lived in Southsea and my sister and I rode as teenagers. When Henrietta wanted to have horses, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
I try not to work at weekends but when I have a deadline, I have no choice. I’ve been a sculptor ever since I left school. It was my only hope, really. I did a foundation course at Chelsea Art School and while I was there I had a chance encounter with the great Horse of Selene, one of the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum taken from the east pediment of the Parthenon. The encounter paved my future. It was as if lightning had struck twice in the same place. The horse’s head was so beautifully made, so considered, so right. It was as if it had been carved by the gods: a lesson in balance and harmony and proportion. Immediately it became my benchmark. For the past 30 years I’ve focused on capturing the beauty of a horse’s head. I don’t think I ever will surpass the Horse of Selene, whose job it was to draw the chariot of the goddess of the moon across the sky. But he leads me in some interesting directions. oincidentally, I think I must be one of the few people who strongly believes the Elgin Marbles should not be returned to Greece. Treasure is collected and plundered and bought and sold all the time. How can you isolate the Elgin Marbles as being necessary to return?