Tree of Life by Patrick Hurst

Artist, Industrial manufacturer, and mathematician - like his work Hurst is multi-layered.

Hurst has been passionate since graduating with generating creative thought through his work. His monumental pieces are never fully defined with a finite conclusion, instead the viewer is presented with multiple paths of thought to pursue. There is often a connection between the natural world and the industrial, likely as the artist himself is adept with both industrial materials and traditional methods of sculpting. They become timeless as they hover between commentary on the future and connections to the past, creating a dialogue in the present of who we are as humans and as a species.

Tree of Life, 2023 by Patrick Hurst (born 1988), Corten Steel, edition of 9. Placed in the Treasure House Sculpture Walk by Long-Sharp Gallery.

On the monumental scale they are deceptively simple but endlessly complex in subject, so that contemplating them is an enduring fascination.

Hurst's tree of life is a three dimensional representation of a Phylogenetic Tree, an example of which you can see below. They are used to visually represent the evolution of an animal or even religion. This sculpture is enigmatic, is this tree multiple iterations of one line of species or religion or the beginning to the end of its creation? The creation of the image of the tree via this creation, echoes an organic process but the rusted metal suggests evolution beyond the natural into the future. You are left with no choice but to contemplate the path of creation - of life, action or thought.

“There is a strong similarity between the creative mind of the artist and the engineer’ – Patrick Hurst

Hurst is represented by the Long-Sharp Gallery, established by Rhonda Long-Sharp in 2005 in Indiana, USA. A collaboration which works despite Hurst's studio being based in Rome, Italy, because the gallery is so active. Hurst grew up in Cardiff and became a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 2016.