The title of this exhibition, Sightseers, derives from the allegory of the cave within Plato’s Republic, in which prisoners mistake shadows for reality until one escapes and encounters the world beyond, returning as a “sightseer” of an alternative reality.
Drawing on this notion, Routledge positions this band of sculptural figures as autonomous beings traversing a fictional, constructed multiverse. Both the sculpted figures and viewers are framed as ‘sightseers’, inhabiting the gallery-as-cave as a shared space of observation.
The figures in the space read as weary custodians of an unfamiliar system, appearing suspended mid-narrative, paused somewhere between anticipation and aftermath. In this multiverse, they are surrounded by a trove of miscellaneous belongings and a singular architectural structure, from which more disparate objects cling or emerge
At times, materiality from a different realm - the studio - appears as slippages into this new space. Adorning the walls of the gallery, a digitally created backdrop integrates sketches alongside discarded canvases, 3D scans of provisional works, test pieces, and manipulated textures.
For Routledge, the studio functions as a sandbox in which disparate objects, whether found, altered, or self-produced, are brought together through a process of assemblage. In this way, digital fabrication operates as an additional process folded back into physical making.
Digital assets are developed as modular building blocks before being realised as 3D-printed forms. These manufactured elements are then sutured, spliced, and reworked through a rapid and impulsive application of resin, which functions both structurally and texturally upon the figures, binding components together while simultaneously undermining the authority of the digitally produced forms.
If you haven't already seen, our next exhibition is just around the corner...
We’re excited to present a newly commissioned exhibition by Birmingham-based sculptor Luke Routledge, opening at Humber Street Gallery in January 2026!
Sightseers marks Routledge’s most ambitious body of work to date, inviting audiences into the latest chapter of his ever-evolving imagined multiverse.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a varied public programme that expands on the themes within the work, offering explorations into world-building possibilities, speculative encounters, and approaches to sculpture through performance, discussion, and hands-on workshops.
Join us for the Launch on Thursday 15 January 2026- 6-9pm, free and open to all, no booking required.
Exhibition dates: Friday 16 January – Sunday 3 May 2026.
Find out more via our website (link in bio).
Sightseers opens at @humberstreetgallery tonight, 6-9pm.
Very excited to finally share this newly commissioned body of work. It feels like a real step forward in my practice, and I can’t wait for people to experience it in the space.
#art #sculpture #3dprint
Studio Rat No.3.
I happened upon this rat motif whilst doing another painting and it’s become a scaffold on which to put paint and experiment.
Didn’t take very long for them to start slipping into abstraction
#oilpainting #art #painting
Studio at the moment. I’ve been doing various different painting experiments over the last month or so. Some more successful than others, but I’m having fun with it.
#painting #studio #oil
It’s the last weekend to catch Luke Routledge’s exhibition, Sightseers.
Sightseers is a major exhibition by Birmingham-based artist Luke Routledge ( @lukeroutledge ), presenting an ambitious body of newly commissioned work at Humber Street Gallery. Visitors are invited into the latest chapter of Routledge’s ever-evolving imagined multiverse, where a gathering of larger-than-life, multicoloured beings inhabit a world that feels both playful and unfamiliar. These figures hint at stories, encounters and identities that are still forming, inviting audiences to stay curious and spend time with a world that resists easy explanation.
Find out more via our website, link in bio.
It’s the last few days to see Sightseers @humberstreetgallery . I’m really pleased with how this show came together and have had some great feedback from it. Ends on Sunday
🚨It's the last week to catch Sightseers!
Open until Sunday 3 May.
Sightseers is a major exhibition by Birmingham-based artist Luke Routledge ( @lukeroutledge ), presenting an ambitious body of newly commissioned work at Humber Street Gallery. Visitors are invited into the latest chapter of Routledge’s ever-evolving imagined multiverse, where a gathering of larger-than-life, multicoloured beings inhabit a world that feels both playful and unfamiliar. These figures hint at stories, encounters and identities that are still forming, inviting audiences to stay curious and spend time with a world that resists easy explanation.
Find out more via our website, link in bio.
