Max Bainbridge

Spanning a material language of wood and metal, Bainbridge's work seeks a grounded presence in the physicality of the sculpted object through his enduring relationship to the natural body of the tree. By working with trees that have fallen where they once grew, his sculptures are a direct and intimate connection to land and place. Exploring the human condition and the need to protect ourselves in times of crisis, his works, carved from wood, often sit in relation to objects cast in metal as he looks to how our fragile and complex place within the natural world can persist and endure.

Through the stripping of bark, casting of wood and hollowing of trunks, Bainbridge explores what is imbibed within these trees throughout their lifetime. He looks to how their environment has shaped and changed them, and in doing so, reflects on our own place within the natural world. By shifting the narrative from strength and fertility to that of vulnerability and mortality, each sculpture offers a different lament on what it means to be human, to exist within a fragile and ever-changing ecosystem.

By embodying the monumental presence of the tree into objects on a more intimate human scale, his works become quiet reflections on our relationship with the natural world and the importance of evaluating our place within it.