Eoghan Bridge
Eoghan Bridge was born in Edinburgh. He now lives and works in a small market town in Yorkshire.
Following his degree show in 1985, he exhibited with the Duncalfe Galleries, Harrogate where the art critic for the Evening Standard, Brian Sewell, praised Eoghan’s work and added a bronze sculpture to his own art collection. Eoghan Bridge’s sculpture is on show at various galleries and international art fairs.
Eoghan has two large bronze public sculptures in the city of Edinburgh. Rutland Court Horse & Rider, and Silvermills Horse~Rider~Eagle.He produces sculpture in bronze, ceramic, resin bronze, and aluminium. He explores the composition between horse and rider, the figure, and abstract form.
He paints, and draws, and more recently has been experimenting with digital giclee prints.
Artist Statement (taken from Eoghan’s blog post ‘The Impossibility of Everything’)
“I’ve spent my life exploring equestrian composition because I felt the rich history of human endeavour in this field had missed out too many possibilities. It was a decision I made as a young man and sometimes I wonder whether or not it was the right choice, or if that decision did in fact become a cage which restricted the possibilities of my expression. And I wonder about this because of the changing times and the shift in perceptions of what art is in contemporary society and the growing trends towards the more conceptual approach.
It’s been quite a curious experience in which I feel that I’ve made a significant contribution to equestrian composition and yet it has gone unoticed in my society. And perhaps this is because the connection to tradition has been severed by the populist movements in art which lean towards a more obvious narrative, with a greater emphasis on styling.
My decision to pursue an experimental approach to equestrian sculpture has led me to produce a fascinating body of work and make a unique contribution to this genre of art. A contribution which is the result of exploring the conceptual possibilities of equestrian composition on many levels from the simple mechanics of geometry to the complexity of the spiritual expression. Compositions which more recently explore impulse and intuition, which have materialised from the more rational and logical mind set of my earlier works. Art which now more openly explores and embraces the great mystery of life, connected through the mystery of composition, finding comfort in connection as opposed to searching for impossible answers
Yes, my approach to art has changed and evolved, as the challenges of living as an artist have fundamentally changed my approach to life. Something which I view as a curious wisdom which informs me that the more I learn, only reveals my limitations with a greater clarity. And so I move on with a growing curiosity, never satisfied with my achievements, achievements which only serve to invite me to explore further and in greater depth. A life without conclusions, because there is so much more to life than a search for the quantifiable and finite.
Through my sculpture, I’m looking for freedom of expression, with a level of respect towards my predecessors and an eye on future possibilities and generations, yet without simplistic linear constraints. In short I wish to explore every possibility which feels relevant to my experience of existence and tenure of a mortal being. For example I wish to explore the complex nature of chaotic geometry whilst exploring the spiritual aspect of being. I would also like to explore the rational logic of conformity in conjuction with the absolute anarchy and complexity of our inexplicable circumstances. That through my art I will understand and yet realise that I will never truly understand, beyond what I feel inside. Something which I feel is in part realised through the deep sense of connection I get by pursuing my own truth through artistic expression. And it’s in the pursuit of truth and integrity that art becomes defined as an important human expression. A window into the mystery of being, unadulterated by the dogmas of society enforced upon us by fashion and trends. The timeless truths of being unaffected by the constructs of marketing and fashion. Art is Freedom.
To make art I feel I must live and experience my own existence, learning to trust and believe in my own sentient experience as well as allowing the the force of being to be an intrinsic part of my actuality. To feel my life from within as a connected element of timeless existence and to feel my life as a reaction to the varying sentient possibilities of environment. I believe that exploring this complex state of being which we all share can come together through art, through a simple expression of truth. A simple expression from the infinite compexity of our dynamic possibility. In this sense art is fundamentally simple, though it is complicated by the weight of expectations and information overload, which is why I often feel the need to withdraw and contemplate my actuality.
My experience as an artist has taught me that we are equals outside (of the protocols of society), and that we are all artists in some form or other. Because as sentient creatures we observe, contemplate and express our feelings and reactions.”
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