The marble sculptures by British artist Matthew Simmonds aren’t your typical human forms popularized by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Instead, he carves detailed and solitary architectural interiors into a corner or side of a hunk of stone. Simmonds leaves the natural edges of the rocks juxtaposed with his small, finished spaces. He pays homage to sacred buildings like baroque basilicas and Ancient Roman Temples by depicting some of their defining features like domed-roofs and elaborate columns.
While architecture can be seen as the transformation of materials celebrating Man’s skill and ingenuity, Simmond’s sculptures could perhaps prove otherwise. Nature overpowers architecture and encases it as if it’s a fossil. The gorgeously-crafted rooms, while pristine, are no match for the rocks they’re trapped inside; it offers a fascinating way of looking at these classic structures.
