Viewing ‘Zachary Eastwood-Bloom: Rewiring’ at Pangolin London

‘This collective body of work is akin to ‘Rewiring’, taking things apart, trying to work out where things go, what they do and then putting them back together again’, says Zachary Eastwood-Bloom. The Glasgow-based artist presents these new works in a solo exhibition at Pangolin London – where he was once sculptor in residence – until 23 December: wall sculptures in ceramic and wood made using both digital and traditional techniques, alongside drawings and etchings.

‘Rewiring’ has a personal tenor for Eastwood-Bloom, and marks a new direction in his practice. Eastwood-Bloom made the work during a four year period spanning two years before and after his father’s death; an intimate exploration of universal themes of grief and loss, they are a cathartic response to a tumultuous period in his life, a search for meaning in a chaotic and changing world.

Look out for two major new clay works: ZXY, a wall piece comprised of fifteen black ceramic vessels arranged in a sequence constitute Eastwood-Bloom’s “internal alphabet”, shapes and symbols to convey emotions; another significant ceramic wall installation in the exhibition is Dark Matter, a collection of sculptures mounted on board and coated in ultra black paint. This piece grapples with the concept of trying to understand something that is present but escapes notice. Eastwood-Bloom explains, “I am trying to quantify it in some way, to give structure and mass to something ephemeral and shapeless but impacting. Dark matter, after all, is thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. It is dark because it is difficult to detect, but there is evidence of its presence.”