Sheffield artist in first of a series launching major new Sky Arts series

Steve, who uses the alias Sapien, will compete against fellow northern artists Sadie Clayton and Saad Qureshi on the new Landmark series, which delves into the purpose and power of public art and forms Sky Arts’ mission to create the UK’s next major landmark.

They will build, weld and sculpt under the watchful eyes of two expert judges, Clare Lilley, curator and director of programme at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and artist Hetain Patel. The celebrity guest judge is DJ Mark Radcliffe.

Steve, who says his alias represents his love of man’s ancient story, was born and raised in Sheffield. He produces large sculptural artworks for public spaces and one-of-a-kind statement furniture, fusing elemental materials and processes with high quality craftsmanship.

He is also a master meditator with 16 years of dedicated practice and eight years teaching classes, including a two year spell teaching students and tutors at the University of Sheffield.

At the end of each Landmark heat, the works will be unveiled to the local community, who will join the judges to deliberate on which piece best sums up their area. The winning artist will gain a coveted place in the final where they will pitch for a national landmark which one of them will be commissioned to create. The final landmark will be on display in Coventry, UK City of Culture for 2021.

Steve’s work is called Only Breathe and is on show at Grizedale Forest in the Lake District. The show is on Sky Arts on September 6.