Mel Fraser is a contemporary sculptor specialising in stone. Since the mid-1990s she has carved in studios across the UK, developing a body of work that is diverse and multifaceted. She carves ethereal abstract and entrancing figurative works, each laden with profound symbolic significance. She possesses an innate ability to interpret the unique idiosyncrasies of each piece of stone carving it into diaphanous veils of rippling alabaster or conjuring a gleaming nimbus from deep within the rock. Fraser expertly probes the limits of the physical properties of stone, pushing it to the brink of destruction, examining form, space and materiality with an earnest and palpable curiosity.
Mel Fraser traverses’ themes of mortality and the relentless passage of time. Her sculptures breathe life into languid, entangled figures, expressing a wide spectrum of human emotions, from sensual frivolity to the depths of passion and anguish. With their voluptuous forms, fecund vitality and serene omniscience, her female figures evoke a primordial essence of the human psyche. Her sculptures resonate with universal themes, inviting us to contemplate the profound and eternal aspects of human nature while connecting viewers to the enduring power and beauty of stone.
Fraser’s work is held in private and corporate collections worldwide. Notable commissions include a sculpture installed in Frank Gehry’s Opus Building in Hong Kong and another at the headquarters of the GMB Union in London, carved from a ten-tonne block of Kilkenny limestone.
Her sculptures have been exhibited throughout the UK, Europe and New York and she has been a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors since 2017.
We are delighted to be introducing her extrordinary work as part of FORM The Sculpture Show 2026.