Tate St Ives: Halima Cassell

This exhibition runs until the 27th September 2026.

This is a smaller exhibition at Tate St Ives, in gallery 10, but some of the best things come in smaller packages.  I absolutely adored this exhibition.  The complex geometrical forms and patterns were just awe inspiring.  These were objects I wanted to take home and study, to touch and really get to know.  I sometimes, with such gloriously complex shapes, that I can not quite hold them in my head.  I don't know how artists such as Halima manage to conceive of them, let alone produce them.

There were a couple of sketches showing her ideas at an earlier stage but apart from that, all the items were sculptural.  Some were wall mounted panels or plaques.  Others were freestanding.  Each was monochrome and made from a single material but sometimes several items were combined to make a piece so that colours and materials were expanded.

One important facet of these pieces is the play of light and shadow.  This takes them from single colour items to monochrome.  Some pieces were angular, others sinuous and curving.  Some were repetitive patterns, others were not.  

My geometry loving brain was just in ecstasy.

Halima's inspirations are varied, from carvings in religious buildings, North African surface design, M C Escher, Bridget Riley and Barbara Hepworth.  Geometry and pattern are found in every culture throughout time with each artists and culture putting their own twist on things.  Halima takes this rich heritage and makes it entirely her own.


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