Roger Hiorns

Roger Hiorns was born in Birmingham in 1975 and lives and works in London.  

Working across sculpture and installation, Roger Hiorns investigates the transformative potential of materials through a practice rooted in sculptural tradition yet driven by experimentation. His works bring together industrial objects and unexpectedly delicate substances, creating encounters between metal, ceramics, soap, and crystalline formations. In works such as his crystal-covered BMW engines, ordinary manufactured objects are transformed into singular, almost baroque forms that oscillate between strength and fragility. Through these material juxtapositions, Hiorns explores processes of change, allowing the physical properties of his materials to redefine the identity and meaning of the objects they inhabit.  

During his residency at Atelier Calder, Hiorns produced a new series of sculptures inspired by mechanical components. Rather than casting them in metal, he modelled these forms in ceramic, replacing the weight and durability associated with industrial machinery with a sense of fragility and lightness. Although the sculptures evoke functional objects, their purpose remains deliberately ambiguous, inviting viewers to reconsider the relationship between material, form, and function.