99. Kate MccGwire

This week on my podcast “Conversations About Art” I spoke with Kate MccGwire, a British sculptor who spent her childhood growing up on the Norfolk Broads. Taking feathers as her primary medium, MccGwire goes through labour-intensive processes of collecting, sorting and cleaning her materials to create muscular, writhing forms reminiscent of Classical sculpture and creatures from mythology. Through her practice, MccGwire celebrates feathers, which are commonly shed or discarded, as the medium through which she articulates enigmatic anatomies that explore physical and introspective space.

She and I discuss swimming in the river, unexpected and long term collaborations, the notion of place, tracing the practice of time, being lost, looking again at what you think you know, meditative processes, what she listens to in the studio, flow, flux, patterning and energy, the power of art, and having a weird life!

Royal Salute, the master of exceptionally aged Scotch whisky, has unveiled a new platform, The Art of Wonder in partnership with celebrated British sculptor, Kate MccGwire. The Art of Wonder will invite some of the most provocative artists of today to take inspiration from the craft of whisky blending to create a lasting tribute to the transformative power of creativity. For its inaugural release, Royal Salute has partnered with British sculptor, Kate MccGwire, who has created three beautifully sculpted and sensuous pieces; Paragon, Plethora, and Protean, under a body of work named Forces of Nature. Paragon is one of 21 bespoke sculptures, that sits with a remarkable 53 Year Old blended Scotch whisky, one of the highest ages ever released by Royal Salute. Plethora, which features sustainably sourced pheasant feathers flowing through the curves of copper repurposed from silent whisky stills, will be unveiled for the first time in Shanghai, China, in November 2022. Protean, the largest installation of the three, continues the theme of Plethora and will be revealed at Frieze, London on the 12th of October 2022.

For more information, visit royalsalute.com or follow @royalsalute on social media.

@kate_mccgwire