Internationally renowned British sculptor Tony Cragg explores the complex relationships between the natural and the manmade to create an innovative, distinctive sculptural language. A self-described radical materialist, he is interested in the internal structures of material that result in their external appearance. Inspired by the macro and micro structures found in nature as well as an engagement with industrial materials and processes, he counts among his influences British land art and performance art. Cragg constantly explores and expands the possibilities of new materials which, in turn, help to determine the form of each sculpture as well as the emotional register it occupies.

On display at the One Bangkok Park in One Bangkok, Cragg’s sculpture It Is, It Isn't features a dynamic arrangement of flowing, highly polished stainless steel curves that seem to move with the actions around it. Crafted from an industrial material and surrounded by manmade structures, including the multipurpose One Bangkok Forum, gardens and recreational spaces, the installation co-exists in harmony with its surroundings, yet stands out and commands attention. 

The structure of It Is, It Isn't embodies the stacking principles that can be traced back to the artist’s early career, when he created accumulations of found objects. Later, Cragg applied the same principles to thin layers of wood to form undulating organic structures that recall natural geological forms, and more recently, to industrial materials to suggest elemental transformation and the fluidity of molten metal. From the layered, flowing curves of It Is, It Isn't, abstract outlines of faces and heads emerge, reflecting the artist’s interest in examining how forms function in and interact with space, whether physical or psychological. The interplay between positive and negative space gives structure to his work, enabling the viewer to become more aware of their connection with the space and the material world around them.