ARTWORK DESCRIPTION:

Fascinated with wildlife and biodiversity, Neil has re-imagined Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets as moulds, employing the characters (negative voids) to cast positive triangular versions, re-assembled as animal representations on the cusp of segmenting. His sculptures aim to thematically parallel this early transformation of language from pictographs to an abstract alphabet as a reference to animals’ adaptive ‘super-powers’. To avoid being munched by giraffes, ‘Acacia’ trees flood their leaves with poisonous chemicals and release a gas which drifts to warn nearby trees of pending predation, triggering release of their toxins. Giraffes glide the tree-line, browsing roughly one in ten trees, to avoid a toxic lunch

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:

Born in Wales, now based near Llandeilo, West Wales, Neil Mason displayed an early natural talent for modelling, gravitating to wildlife. However, pursuing a career in mental healthcare, serving both as a clinician and senior manager, it wasn’t until around 2009 that he felt compelled to sculpt. Subsequently, his sculptures attracted multiple awards including winning the sculpture category at DSWF Wildlife Artist of The Year, and he is an Honorary Fellow at The Wildlife Art Society International. His work can be found exhibited in Wales, England, Italy and Greece.