Richard Bray

Richard Bray is a master sculptor, painter and photographer. Born in London, he studied Photographic Arts at the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster). After two years in Tanzania with VSO (Volunteer Service Overseas) – where his practice as a sculptor began – he settled in Cambridgeshire in 1989. He later completed an MA in Fine Art at Norwich School of Art & Design.

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Influenced by the early British Land art movement as well as ideas of conceptual and abstract art, Bray’s work both reflects and is informed by its natural environment; his sculptures commune with the natural and built environments in which they find themselves, as well as with the position and perspective of the viewer. Bray's remarkable pieces are immediately recognisable for their combination of skill, elegance and sophistication. A celebration – as much, it may seem, as a defiance! – of wood's extraordinary capacity as an artistic medium, Bray's work bends, morphs, sways, dances, curves, folds, wriggles and twists into forms that are tactile, organic and meticulously mathematically precise. They are in constant motion: their mesmeric patterns create striking visual effects that refuse to settle in the mind.​

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Living in Tanzania from 1986-1988, Bray was inspired by the landscapes and woodlands of the region, where he began experimenting with the structure and form of diverse woods. These experiences inspired a lifelong commitment to ethically sourced and sustainable materials. 'We have a very strong emotional bond with wood, he observes: 'let's hope we don’t lose it.' For Bray, 'wood has a human lifetime: we are surrounded by it. Trees are a big part of the world we live in. As a material, it is warm and easy to work. Woodlands and trees figure in so much of the world’s mythology and origin stories.. The grain runs through each work and the colour comes from the way the light reflects on this natural surface.'

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In 2007, Bray was elected to the Royal Society of British Sculptors. His work is held in important private and public collections – including a number of Cambridge colleges – nationally and internationally.

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Alongside his collection for 'Studio Stories', Bray is currently the subject of a new solo exhibition at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. The show takes the form of a Sculpture Trail through the beautiful College Gardens, demonstrating the extraordinary diversity of Bray's practice.

 

The Wolfson College Sculpture Trail is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 10AM-5PM. You can find the Trail Map online, or collect a printed copy from the Porters Lodge upon arrival.​