It’s the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy where you can see one of the most interesting pieces for free in the Annenberg Courtyard, just off Piccadilly.
Sculptor Nicola Turner has created “The Meddling Fiend” after studying works by Joshua Reynolds, the Academy’s first President whose statue stands at the entrance.
Made of a range of materials including stuffing from old mattresses and chairs, sheep’s wool and grand piano legs, this roiling mass surrounds the statue, threatening to engulf the entire space.
There’s an ambiguity in this: has Reynolds conjured this “fiend” from the wand of his paintbrush or is it attacking him? Has it been invited or is he repelling it?
Turner was inspired by a Reynolds painting of the infant Hercules, where a darkness frames the action taking place. See the painting below.
It’s a powerful sculpture with a ripe smell, especially after rain – I wouldn’t spend much time down-wind.