Strangers in a Crowd is sculptor Nic Clegg's first solo show in New Zealand.
Nic moved from Manchester, UK to the Bay of Plenty in September 2008 and has since gained the reputation of one of the region's foremost sculptural talents.
Nic's preferred medium is steel which he manipulates usinghammer and heat to create his fabulous pieces.
The exhibition is a collection of figurative work depicting people from Nic's past and present in the United Kingdom and now New Zealand. The collection charts a journey from England's industrial heartland to the "land of plenty" that is the Bay.
Nearly everyone is known to Nic except a few strangers.
Nic says "The strangers are real people I have come across in New Zealand, whether it be in the bank, in a pub or just walking down the street. I don't know them yet, perhaps I never will but they all have a quirk, something that has generated an interest and a second look".
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The pieces make up a crowd scene who are listening to (or not) an orator - it may be a political husting, a religious meeting or just some person ranting inanely! As a child with politically active parents he was often taken on protest marches - the collection of figures is reminiscent of the meetings that followed.
Nic says "The image is taken from a painting by LS Lowry that we had on our living room wall whilst I was growing up in the north of England. The stick like figurines pay homage to Lowry's figures in his paintings of Northern English industrial landscapes."
