“ARIA SOTTILE – THIN AIR” is an exhibition which features the most recent works by figurative artist David Begbie. Expressing his profound interest in human anatomy and the way people express themselves through body language, his sculpture acknowledges that each torso has a unique “personality”. Studies using life models amalgamated with observations taken from day-to-day social interaction throughout his 28 year career constitute the majority of works in this new show. Begbie’s figures resonate with the sculpture of antiquity, but his art is certainly of its time. His sculptures reflect a current preoccupation with the ideal body and his use of industrial material makes them distinctly contemporary. His work is full of contradictions so they are endlessly fascinating; exaggerated muscles suggest density and power, yet they are transparent and delicate; they are charged with energy yet motionless; although made of steel and bronze, their anatomical realism creates the illusion of sensuous flesh. Other than a truly surprising transformation of a seemingly inert material into fabulous configuration, it is his use of strategic lighting to create composition between a sculpture and it’s projected shadow which ultimately sets him apart from anything else and produces an art-form for the 21st Century He is a herald of modern sculpture, and the demand for his work from private collector, corporate collector and major museums inspire David’s continued fascination with the human form, striving to capture the very essence of the body’s composition, depth and structure, through his ever evolving contemporary archetypes.