Emily Young (British, born 1951) Fertility Torso with Head 120 cm. (47 1/4 in.) high (excluding ...

Emily Young (British, born 1951) Fertility Torso with Head amber onyx on a steel base 120 cm. (47 1/4 in.) high (excluding the base) Carved in 2008 Unique Footnotes: Provenance The Artist, from whom acquired directly by the present owner Private Collection, U.S.A. Through her sculpture, Emily Young reflects on the concept of nature, and of time, in dialogue with the human form – themes universal in their relevance. She meditates with an air of wonder and humility on the cosmic journey that her stone has travelled to arrive at the centre of her attention. Stone is unique in its ability to prompt such thoughts, forming as it does over aeons through the forces of nature, and lasting far longer than any organic form could hope to; as the stonework of Greek and Buddhist antiquity echo through to Young in the present day, so she seeks for her work 'call to some unknowable future', and offer a glimpse of ourselves to whatever may be there to see it (Emily Young, Emily Young Sculpture, 2021). The present work, Fertility Torso and Head, comes within a wider group of 'torsos'. Rarely within the group, the accompanying head gives the work a sense of identity. The fertility to which the title refers links closely with the idea of a dormant potential for life that lies within the stone, an idea that dates back to the mythical Pygmalion of Ovid's Metamorphoses. In Young's eyes, the connection reinforces the origin we share with the stone, 'an understanding that we are children of a magical planet, which gives life and meaning to everything' (Emily Young, Emily Young Sculpture, 2023). The poignancy that in the face of this connection we now turn on our shared parental planet is not lost on the artist. It is a point that follows inevitably from the kind of geological, large-scale focus that Young adopts. Her eye towards this is testified to by her partaking in this year's Venice Biennale, titled Carbon II: Carbon Capture Art, where her work is now on display at the Palazzo Mora as part of an exhibition based on the importance of the arts in tackling climate change. Naturally, given Young's artistic and intellectual passions, the importance of the stone itself is paramount across her work – and cuts right to the core of the paradigm she works within: 'The loveliness, power, and strength in the stone is the raw beauty of nature herself' (Emily Young, Emily Young, 2007). The stone from which the present work is carved, amber onyx, gives the work a vibrant glow, punctuated emphatically by inclusions in the stone that delve below the surface. Such inconsistency in the stone is sometimes avoided by sculptors, but Young embraces it, delighting in its faults, veins, splits and idiosyncratic form. The bright, ringed shapes that adorn the lower torso and thighs amplify the ageless grace of the onyx, while the dramatic streak down the middle of the torso jolts your attention back to the present, a tension in fitting with Young's desire for her art to permeate across time. We are grateful to EY Sculpture UK for their assistance in cataloguing this lot. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * AR TP * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing