Litha

Alastair & Fleur Mackie (b. 1977)
Alastair and Fleur Mackie’s sculptural
practice is one of contrasts. It is as labourintensive
as it is formally effortless,
as grounded in ideas of nature as it is
in the intrinsically human struggle to
define a role within the environment;
it is as intellectually ambitious as it is
aesthetically understated. Alastair grew up
in an agricultural community in Cornwall,
UK while Fleur’s childhood was split
between Cameroon, France, and the UK.
They met at art school in London in the
late 90’s. Initially their creative practices
were separate, but over time their work has
evolved into a natural collaboration. In 2011
they moved to live and work in Cornwall, the
landscape of which has played a key role in
the shaping of their vocabulary. Naturally
occurring elements (native metals, wood,
sea shells) are meticulously rearranged and
transformed in a knowingly quixotic attempt
to make sense of the primordial. Each work
is something of an enigma, enriched by the
loaded associations of its material and the
story behind its making. Ally and Fleur
operate by reduction; materials are pared
down to their core. In their work, process
dictates form, no matter how poetic or
Romantic the piece’s origin.
Alastair and Fleur Mackie have shown
extensively in the UK and internationally,
including exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery
in London, the Venice Biennale and the
Reykjavik Art Museum. They have worked
on a number of public commissions and
their work is held in collections including
The Olbricht Collection in Berlin, the
Salsali Private Museum in Dubai and the
Wellcome Collection in London.
Complex System 27 & 28
cuttlebone (edition of 4 variee), 44 x 49 cm each
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