Haffendi Anuar in his studio.

LONDON: Battersea Power Station and CASS Sculpture Foundation have announced internationally acclaimed artists Jesse Wine and Haffendi Anuar as joint winners of the inaugural ‘Powerhouse Commission’. The artists’ winning proposals will be unveiled at Battersea Power Station’s Circus West Village in September.

Battersea Power Station’s ‘Powerhouse Commission,’ in partnership with CASS Sculpture Foundation, aims to provide international artists with an exceptional opportunity to achieve new levels of ambition by creating an outdoor sculpture.

The winners of this first iteration of the Commission were selected by a judging panel of experts; Jude Kelly, Cultural Advisor at Battersea Power Station; Anne Mullins, Head of Culture at Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership; Misha Curson, Deputy Director, Cass Sculpture Foundation; Helen Turner, Curator at Cass Sculpture Foundation; and David Twohig, Chief Development Officer at Battersea Power Station.

Jesse Wine and Haffendi Anuar were chosen from a shortlist of nine international artists that included:Claire Barclay (UK); Olaf Breuning (Switzerland); Conrad Shawcross (UK); Yutaka Sone (Japan);Nina Beier (Denmark); Raphael Hefti (Switzerland) and Bedwyr Williams (UK). All nine shortlisted artists were invited to submit proposals for outdoor sculptures to be installed at Battersea Power Station.

British-born, New York-based Jesse Wine’s work will mirror the timeline of Battersea Power Station through the historical development of sculpture during the same period, from 1933 through to the present day. The work will directly reference Battersea Power Station’s local history of sculpture by re-creating and re-interpreting the work of Henry Moore, who studied at the Royal College of Art and presented work in Battersea Park. At the same time, it will retain Wine’s signature style, adorned with depictions of objects – including cups of tea, sandwiches, notepads and flat caps – suggesting a huddle of workers paused for a tea break on this icon of 20th century British art.

Haffendi Anuar’s winning maquette for the ‘Powerhouse Commission’.

For his commissioned sculpture, Malaysian artist Haffendi Anuar will create a site-specific series of pilotis, traditional architectural columns that lift a building above ground or water, and which are commonly found in stilted dwellings, such as fishermen’s huts, across Asia. Within the context of Battersea Power Station, Machines for Modern Living are intended as surrogates of BPS’ chimneys. By installing them on ground level at Circus West, their presence will be anchored to the site, bringing the distant chimneys of Battersea Power Station within grasp. The complex forms of the sculptures with their angular stacks allude to both western minimalism and traditional Malaysian-Indonesian architecture.

Once unveiled, Wine’s and Anuar’s sculptures will remain in situ for three months, adding to the variety of public art that London currently has to offer.

As with all other works at CASS, the two ‘Powerhouse’ commissions will be available for sale. Proceeds from the sales will be invested directly into future commissions.

Clare Hindle, CASS Executive Director, said: “Eighteen years ago Cass Sculpture Foundation established the commissioning process for the Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square with Mark Wallinger’s Ecce Homo. I am thrilled to continue our legacy of presenting contemporary sculpture at London’s most prestigious public platforms, while maintaining our core charitable endeavour: to champion exceptional talent and provide artists with unexampled opportunity.”

Clare Lilley, Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and Curator of Frieze Sculpture Park, said: “Britain’s cultural industries are a dynamic part of our economy and global recognition, and providing opportunities for young and mid-career artists is a vital role of our institutions. It is hugely gratifying that Battersea Power Station and Cass Sculpture Foundation have forged a partnership that propels distinctive creative purpose in such an iconic environment and I’m certain that both the commission and programme are positioned to become exemplary features of London’s cultural activity, greatly benefiting both the successful artist and their public.”

David Twohig, Head of Design at Battersea Power Station, said: “The vision for Battersea Power Station is to create a new town centre with a diverse mix of users from office workers, to residents and visitors, all here to enjoy music venues, shops and restaurants, cinemas and galleries. But what is equally important to the success of a place is its active curation and animation.

“We have set this project up as a series of platforms, both internal and external spaces, where we invite creatives and artists to come and programme with a myriad of ideas and activities. Battersea Power Station should always seek to surprise and create a sense of wonder.

“Alongside our recently opened arts venue and activation of the riverside park, our arts programme seeks to provide a rotating calendar of commissions that constantly engage the visitor. This is the very ethos of what CASS is about and they have been a great support in getting our vision off the ground.”

Anne Mullins, Head of Culture Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership said, “Congratulations to Jesse Wine and Haffendi Anuar and I look forward to seeing their sculptures in situ at Battersea Power Station.  Our ambition is to develop Nine Elms as a distinctive and vibrant neighbourhood, that’s well connected to our existing communities and to the rest of London.  We have a wealth of cultural assets, including an emerging gallery quarter, New Covent Garden Market, the new US Embassy and of course Battersea Power Station itself.  The Powerhouse Commission is a fantastic new initiative that builds on the area’s cultural credentials, and strengthens our support yet further for London’s creative industries sector.”

The Powerhouse Commission forms part of Battersea Power Station’s wider vision to deliver a new cultural district for London that will build a sense of community and ownership around it and to widen access to culture for audiences in South West London. This is part of a long-term cultural investment that will take place over the multiple phases of the development as the new neighbourhood takes shape. Recent openings include the Village Hall, a new 5,000 sq ft multi-use arts venue created in partnership with Battersea Arts Centre, and a new public artwork by leading British artist and designer Morag Myerscough that welcomes residents and visitors to Circus West Village, the first phase of Battersea Power Station’s redevelopment.

The Malaysian shareholders of the Battersea Power Station project are committed to giving back to the communities in which they operate.  They recognise the importance of creating shared value and this is embeded in all of their undertakings to ensure that they contribute to the community.

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