Book launch and exhibition

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | en Cement eclipses

Carpetbombingculture presents Isaac Cordal’s Cement Eclipses Small interventions in the big city

Lehmie Bro. 2011.

Preview Thursday 26th May 2011 6.00pm at The Pure Evil Gallery 108 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RH. Telephone 020 7729 2866 Show ends Saturday 28th May 2011 http://www.carpetbombingculture.co.uk http://www.pureevil.me

Special Edition available from http://www.carpetbombingculture.co.uk/index.php?action=what

Oblivious to the casual passer-by, a tribe of small cement figures have been appearing in cities across Europe. Left to fend for themselves amongst the chaos of everyday living, they can be found in the most unlikeliest of places.

From paddling in gutters to sitting majestically on top of bus shelters, these concrete sculptures are like little magical gifts to the public that only a few lucky people will have both seen and loved, but so many more will have missed.

Isaac Cordal Hardback 256 pages 20cms x 14cms ISBN - 978-0-9559121-8-4

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cement-Eclipses-Isaac-Cordal/dp/0955912180

Isaac Cordal ...is a sculpture artist from London. His sculptures take the form of little people sculpted from concrete in ’real’ situations. Cordal manages to capture a lot of emotion in his vignettes, in spite of their lack of detail or colour. He is sympathetic toward his little people and we empathise with their situations, their leisure time, their waiting for buses and their more tragic moments such as accidental death, suicide or family funerals. His sculptures can be found in gutters, on top of buildings, on top of bus shelters - in many unusual and unlikely places in the capital. This book is the first time his images have been shown in together in one book dedicated to his work. Many images never seen before Cordal’s concrete sculptures are like little magical gifts to the public that only a few lucky people will see and love but so many more will have missed. Left to their own devices throughout London Cordal what really makes these pieces magical is their placement. They bring new meaning to little corners of the urban environment. They express something vulnerable but deeply engaging. Left to fend for themselves, you almost want to protect them in some way, or perhaps communicate with them. Of course the 25cm high sculptures of people in everyday poses the artist creates in are not real, are they? Well you’ve opened a whole can of worms with that question. Yes, the little scenes in Concrete Eclipse are somewhat poignant but they do not invite you to weep passively for lost worlds you never knew. They are there to provide a one handed clap to shake you from your reveries and plug you back in to the world. So Cordall’s men in grey are a little message of hope in spite of their forlorn appearance and they are there to remind you that pessimism is not common sense, it’s just pessimism. So make sure you do something inessential today. Go on, the grey men don’t want you to.