ARTIST STATEMENT
My work seeks to embody a sense of place through the distillation of personal experience and the excavation of the history of a landscape, and is realised in a direct engagement with concept, materials and processes.
I have responded in diverse ways to the solitary trips I have made to the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland, and to plane crash sites in Midlothian and on The Lizard in Cornwall and to what was once the deepest man made hole in Europe at Rubislaw Quarry in Aberdeen. In 2016, after a year of intense research, I realised a site specific sculpture which reveals aspects of the rich history, both geographical and industrial of the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire.
As well as making sculpture to be sited in the places they are inspired by I have also endeavoured to bring a sense of my experiences of these landscapes and a piece of their history back to the studio, and at other times to return to the land something made in the studio. I have also placed work, which has evolved from one particular landscape and reinstalled it into another.
I have become increasingly interested in exploring the way that apparently unconnected objects can be linked metaphorically to tell a story. All the work is driven by a narrative of some kind.
BIOGRAPHY
Henry was born in Bath in 1987. After studying at the University of
Gloucestershire and Wimbledon School of Art (2007-2010), Henry graduated with a
1st class Honours degree and was the joint winner of the final years Landmark
Sculpture Prize.
He went on to participate in a number of group shows in London galleries. On
the strength of his degree show he was invited to exhibit in the Anticipation
Exhibition, showcasing the best of London's graduates and post graduates, which
was selected by Kay Saatchi. Shortly after, he became the recipient of Jupiter
Artland's 2010 summer residency, which had been open to all graduates from the
colleges of The University of the Arts, London that year. As a result, Jupiter
Artland commissioned an artwork for their permanent collection. Hare hill was
installed in the summer of 2012.
Henry has since been involved in a long term project at Rubislaw quarry in
Aberdeen, making works in response to Europe’s largest manmade hole, where
plans are ongoing to create a heritage center to celebrate the history of
granite in the city. Some of this work, including ‘The depth of time’ was
shown in Spinach in Islington in 2014/15. After winning the commission in early 2015,
Henry has been working on a body of work to develop a site specific sculpture, which
reveals aspects of the rich history, both geographical and industrial of The Forest of Dean.
He currently lives and works from his studio in Windsor, and was elected to the
Royal British Society of Sculptors earlier this year.
EDUCATION
2007 -BA (Hons) Fine Art: Sculpture, University of the Arts London at Wimbledon
2006 - Foundation Art and Design, University of Gloucestershire
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018- Royal Society of Sculptors summer show, Curated by Jo Baring
2018 - Henry Castle and Lateral North Present Ideas for a Crofter's Memorial for Staffin,
Isle of Skye, Atlas Arts.
2017- London Group Sculpture
2014 - Spinach, Angel, London
2010 - Anticipation, selfridges
2010 - Burghley Sculpture Park annual exhibition.
2010 - Taking a line for a walk, Wimbledon College of Art
2010 - Volume and Void, Wimbledon College of Art
2010 - Vulpes Vulpes, clapton, London
2009 - Ada Gallery, Broadway Market, London
2009 - Vyner street gallery, Bethnal green, London
2009 - Wimbledon College of Art, London
2007 - Pittville Gallery, University of Gloucestershire.
AWARDS AND COMMISSIONS
2017- Staffin Crofters Memorial Project, Atlas Arts, Isle of skye
2016- Elected to the Royal British Society of Sculptors
2015 - Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust commission
2012 - Jupiter Artland Commission
2010 - Jupiter Artland Award and residency
2010 - Landmark art prize
PUBLICATTIONS
2019 - A crofters’ memorial by Henry Castle
Commissioned by Atlas Arts
ISBN: 9780993562044
2018 - The Generous Landscape: Ten Years of Jupiter Artland Foundation
ISBN: 9780995783010
2016 - Coal Measure Giants by Henry Castle
Commissioned by The Forest of Dean sculpture trust.