BIOGRAPHY: Richard Forbes
Richard Forbes graduated from the Johannesburg School for Art, Ballet, Music and Drama with a 1st in painting and sculpture in 1989. In 1991, he held an apprenticeship with respected South African artist, Guy du Toit, as a sculptor and bronze founder. Richard then embarked on travels to various countries in Europe and settled in the UK until 2000. In the UK, he developed his stone and wood sculpture, with exhibitions at several galleries. He co-founded Beacon Studios in London as a live/work environment where he held a solo exhibition in 1998. Between 1998 and 2000, Richard became involved in heritage restoration, specializing in the features of landmark structures. He held another solo exhibition in 1999 in London.
In 2000, Richard returned to South Africa where he has continued to develop his wide-ranging artwork in various mediums. He has held solo and group shows at the Dry Barry Gallery in Vrededorp, the Stewart Gallery in Johannesburg, and with the Carfax group. In 2003 he collaborated with William Kentridge on four monumental sculptures for the Museum of Modern Art in Western Australia. He continued to work with Kentridge in 2005 and 2006 on miniature theatres which were exhibited at the Michelangelo Tower Mall in Sandton with the Trinity Session as well as for the ‘Magic Flute’ projections. Also in 2005, he founded the Richard Forbes School for Sculpture.
In 2006, Richard began his printmaking relationship with Artist Proof Studio. In June that year, he participated in the workshop show, ‘The Quiet Revolution’ at APS with about 100 students. His work for this show also traveled to Singapore and other parts of the Far East with a National School of Arts show. In 2007, this show was also hosted at the Topsy Foundation haven for AIDS-affected families and orphans and then at the Premises Gallery in Johannesburg. In November 2007, he participated in a wood-block printing workshop hosted by APS and the Art Bank.
In recent years, Richard has completed several important commissions, including assisting William Kentridge with a wooden horse for the upcoming opera ‘Nose’. The horses were shown at the Goodman Gallery. He completed a door as a private commission for the Michelangelo penthouse suite and a 3m high sculpture in Mozambique which was later exhibited in Amsterdam. He also participated in a Blue Gum project sponsored by ABSA in Prince Albert, Klein Karoo, for which five monumental trees were carved and four carvers trained. The finished sculpture is called The Burghers of Prince Albert.
Of his work, Richard says he aims to ‘engage all the senses (touch, smell, feel, see, hear, think) at once to focus the full attention of a group or individual’… He wants us ‘to experience art in such a way that you know it… When you encounter one of my works or events the requirement is to touch, to be a part of the life of the work. Once you have engaged with the work, it then becomes sacred to you; it is precious on a wider platform than my meager facilitation. I shall keep evolving my process with each new project.’
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