Andrew Burton - Chimney (2008)

A piece of India has recently appeared on a sheltered corner of Canary Wharf.

Andrew Burton’s towering brick sculpture is one of the newest pieces in the collection.

The artist has been a frequent visitor to India since 1983 and is inspired by both the complex culture and everyday life of the country’s major cities. Chimney has echoes of the colour, texture, form and scale of the temples, palaces and brick works he visited.

Burton makes a comparison between western factory chimneys and the minarets of the Taj Mahal with this work which he has said “links the sublime with the mundane�.

Made from small bricks, terracotta and highly coloured, some are new and some recycled from previous work which was intentionally temporary.

Chimney was one of three sculptures created specifically for Burton’s Brickworks exhibition in Jubilee Park.
The structure overlooks Westferry Circus, a location agreed with the artist and chosen because of the surrounding greenery and position slightly off the beaten track.

Andrew Burton was born in Bromley, Kent, and graduated from Newcastle University in 1983. He has exhibited extensively in the UK and overseas and is presently Professor of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.