HANDFLOWERGRENADE

The first HandFlowerGrenades were created as a series of multiples in 2014, born from a previous large scale temporary public sculpture sited firstly in Spitalfields’ and then the upper level of Somerset House along the Embankment; the work ‘The Poetry Of Life’ was created for the BTArtBox campaign in support of ChildLine in 2012 and deployed a plethora of sculpted hands emerging from roses as symbols of hope.

We decided to develop this particular symbol, merging the hand and flower motif with a cast of a WWII hand grenade to create a ‘trophy’, an award to those who strive towards peace over hostility.

The first incarnation of the series in 2014 were as red/pink candy coloured resin, slick with dripping black oil and spoke of corporate greed, war and environmental destruction in the quest for fossil fuels.

As a symbol, the power that HandFlowerGrenade embodies is simple, evident and direct. This quality allows us to experiment with the same form in a variety of different finishes and presentations over the years from corroded metal and concrete [2016] to the fanciful High Hopes and Cease Fire diptych [2021] and the two versions of the V23 studies one with silver leaf over a steel finish recently exhibited as part of ‘Reality Check’, the Summer Exhibition at The Royal Society Of Sculptors curated by David McAlmont, and the companion with gold leaf over a bronze finish.

 

The Essence:
War is a racket!
HandFlowerGrenade speaks of hope transcending and overcoming the perils of warfare, wanton greed and destruction.
The hand of a child rising from the rose, defiant.
The rose emerging from the top of a grenade, triumphant.

HandFlowerGrenade is a trophy to peace, to beauty, to survival, to change.