Sophie Ryder at The Piece Hall

Sophie Ryder at The Piece Hall

Please note that the sculptures in the courtyard will be partially restricted from 20 – 23 May due to an event taking place.

The Piece Hall courtyard will host a UK first when a selection of sculptures by world renowned artist Sophie Ryder go on display in Halifax from February. The six pieces will include the 4.5m high ‘Dancing Hares’, which has never been exhibited publicly in the UK before. The sculptures will be positioned around our 66,000 sq ft courtyard until 23 May where they can be viewed by the public free of charge.

Sophie “works big” and her imposing sculptures which are inspired by animals and mystical creatures have been exhibited globally in Canada, the U.S.A. Germany and Sweden, alongside major exhibitions at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Often displayed in rural settings, the show at The Piece Hall will represent a rare opportunity for her work to be seen in an urban setting, against the backdrop of our Grade I listed building’s beautiful stone façade.

The exhibition will consist of the following pieces: Dancing Hares (bronze); The Minotaur and The Hare on Bench (bronze); Torsos (Lady Hare and Minotaur) (galvanised steel wire); Crawling (bronze); Girl with Knees Up (bronze);  Ladyhare on Boar on a Barrel.

In addition to the outdoor exhibition, The Piece Hall Gallery will showcase 17 artworks including works on paper, bronze maquettes and wire drawings and ephemera which take you on a journey into Sophie’s world. The exhibition includes ‘Robber’, the first bronze sculpture Ryder ever cast in 1988. Ryder made the sculpture in wire but was encouraged by her friend and mentor Elisabeth Frink RA to cast it in bronze and the rest is history. Ryder still has a passion for wire and her two dimensional wire drawings, unique to the artist, can be seen on display including ‘Open Hand’.

Separately, in the Lister Room a collection of works inspired by Sophie’s passion for her dogs will go on display.