The pieces are graceful and deceptively simple, in terms of both their carving style and of their tranquil potency. When first coming across an exhibition of his work, we delight in the perceived tension between stone as a reliable and in relation to our own lives, timeless material, and what we know of the yielding (and less reliable) contours of the human body. With time this sensation may be remembered in the mind like a line from a requiem, quietly insistent.

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In returning to his theme and its many variations, McGuigan does not set out to "challenge" us in the contemporary and confrontational sense of the word. There is no mention of "removing boundaries" in his mission statement. On the contrary, in a form of homage to the way that stones have long been used to mark boundaries and places of passage, his sculptures appear to define the limits of individual tenderness in a harsh and competitive world. Standing between artist and spectator, they mediate the ever-present challenge of being alive.

 

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