In Small Curve (2024), Rosa Shepherd distils sculpture to a single, deliberate gesture. Formed from a curved sheet of steel, the work describes a quiet movement through space, transforming a simple line into a sculptural presence. Its restrained form conceals a sophisticated exploration of perception, inviting viewers to experience the work through movement rather than observation alone.

At the heart of Shepherd's practice is the relationship between the body and its surroundings. Rather than beginning with sculpture as an autonomous object, she starts with physical actions: a turn, a shift of weight, a foot tracing a path across the floor. These fleeting movements are translated into drawings and ultimately realised in steel. The resulting sculptures function as traces of lived experience, preserving moments that would otherwise disappear.

The open structure of Small Curve creates a subtle dialogue between inside and outside. As viewers move around the work, its form continuously changes, appearing alternately as a line, a volume, an architectural fragment, or a contained space. This shifting perception places the viewer at the centre of the sculptural experience, echoing the phenomenological concerns of artists such as Richard Serra while maintaining a distinctly personal vocabulary.

Balancing weight with elegance, Small Curve demonstrates Shepherd's ability to transform a minimal gesture into a work of remarkable spatial presence. The sculpture appears both grounded and fluid, as if a line drawn in the air has been briefly suspended in steel.