Keith Wilson
Forest of Steles
2007
Galvanised mild steel, zote foam, PU Elastemer
Varying heights: 3.6 - 4.1 metres high
Provenance: The artist
Exhibitions: 23rd May – 27th June 2007, Memorial to the Iraq war. ICA, London.


Forest of Steles takes the form of upright pillars that make reference to prayer sticks found in Oriental graveyards. The artist discovered the 'stele' form through the process of rolling hot metal rods into flat 'spatulas', which brought to mind ancient Chinese stone 'steles' engraved with calligraphy. They are painted in brilliant orange, red and brown hues using an industrial Elastemer paint which gives strong, pure colour but with a soft, rubbery surface which reflects light and blurs the edges of the forms.