Since graduating from the University of the West of England in 1990, Simon has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions around the world. He frequently undertakes 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 has been shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize. He is the fourth generation of artists in his family.

 We are excited to announce Simon’s upcoming exhibition of sculpture and drawings in September, at the Somerset Rural Life Museum and his inclusion in the group show ‘Lines of Empathy’, here at CLOSE, in June. 

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 as part of an ongoing exploration into the theme of time and transience; a line of inquiry into the nature of being and things larger than ourselves. 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. 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.

"ROCK IS THE MATERIAL BACKBONE TO MY CREATIVE EXPLORATIONS AND THE CONCEPTUAL FOCUS OF MY SCULPTURES. OVER THE YEARS MY PHYSICAL INVOLVEMENT WITH ROCK HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY MINIMAL AS I COMBINE THIS MOST TRADITIONAL OF SCULPTING MATERIALS WITH MORE CONTEMPORARY AND TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING ONES SUCH AS CLEAR CAST RESIN, CAST STAINLESS STEEL, MIRRORS AND PHOTOGRAPHY."

To enter the viewing room please click <a href="https://www.closeltd.com/viewing-room/3-simon-hitchens-viewing-room/">here </a>