Loughborough University School of the Arts, English and Drama Reader for Fine Art, John Atkin has won the prestigious Excellence Award for the China Fuzhou International Sculpture Competition 2015.

His four metre tall stainless steel sculpture, entitled The Silk Road, will now be located in Fuzhou as part of the landscaping of the City in preparation for the cultural arm of the 1st National Youth Games, Peoples Republic of China.

The competition is organised by Fuzhou Municipal Government and attracted more than 2500 submissions from 102 countries. The selected artworks will form a lasting display of public art within the context of urban regeneration in Fuzhou.

John Atkin comments: “The title of the sculpture takes its name from the famous trade route, The Silk Road. The undulating forms of the sculpture explore ideas of fluid movement juxtaposed with sharp changes of direction at the intersections of each arc of the artwork. Interestingly these same movements also reference dance and sporting events, where multidirectional movement is intrinsic to success, coordinating the motions of the human body and breathing whilst maintain perfect balance.”

The exhibition, alongside the historic significance of the famous trading route, will promote international cultural and business connections at the same time as the Fuzhou International Sculpture Exhibition which opens in July 2015.