Born in 1958 in London, Andrew Sabin studied at Chelsea College of Art between 1979 and 1983, where he later taught as a Senior Lecturer from 1997 to 2006. His early passion was pottery, studying under the Malaysian potter Po Chap Yeap. Between 1976 and 1978 he trained as a potter in London and in Europe before turning his study to sculpture.
Between 1984 and 1990, he showed across the UK, including with Angela Flowers Gallery and Salama-Caro Gallery, Cork Street, London. In 1990, he made his first installation for Chisenhale Gallery as part of a three-part exhibition series, which included Rachel Whiteread's Ghost. He exhibited in the inaugural exhibition of European sculpture at the Henry Moore Institute, UK (1994), where 'The Sea of Sun' was subsequently included in William Ewing's 'Century of the Body' touring exhibition, shown at the Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne, and Culturgest, Lisbon. In 1997 he was invited to make new work at the Henry Moore Studio — at the time the most prestigious residency opportunity in European sculpture, including Richard Long, Giuseppe Penone, Ulrich Rückriem, Jannis Kounellis, Alison Wilding, and Anthony Caro.
From 1997, his attention was focused predominantly on the public realm and this continues to be an important element of his practice, with large-scale outdoor commissions including 'C-bin Project' on the coast of France, 'History Wall' for the Town Centre in Whitstable, 'Square- and Round Bridge' for Ravensbury Park, London, 'The Calibrated Ramp' in Bracknell, Berkshire, and 'The Coldstones Cut' in the Yorkshire Dales, which won him the Marsh Award for Public Sculpture in 2011. He was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to replace Henry Moore's 'Two Piece Reclining Figure No.1' on the site of the former Chelsea School of Art in Manresa Road, Chelsea (2013).
Sabin has a rigorous studio practice. His recent solo shows include 'Two Volcanos' at Brook Bennington, London (2024) and 'Colouring the Void' at New Arts Centre, Salisbury, UK (2016). His group exhibitions include Bo Lee Gallery, Somerset, UK (2025); 'These Mad Hybrids' with John Hoyland, Olivia Bax, Phyllida Barlow and others at Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK (2024); 'Material Matters' at Elysium Gallery, Swansea, UK (2024); 'Sculpture in Pilane' at the Pilane Heritage Museum, Sweden (2024); 'Where are we Now?' with Michael Pennie at Canary Wharf, London (2018); 'Over Under' with Keith Wilson and Franz West (2007); 'Other Criteria' at Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, UK (2004), an exhibition taking stock of one hundred years of British sculpture; and 'Material Evidence' at Cubitt Street, London.
He is the recipient of awards and bursaries from Arts Council England, the Henry Moore Trust, Arts and Business, SEEDA, the RSA Art for Architecture Award, the Aggregates Levy, the Bridgehouse Trust, the Lorne Award, the Marsh Award, ABSA, and several awards from the British Council.
Sabin left a long career in teaching in 2006 to focus on his practice and to later design and build Matt Black Barn, set within 15 acres of West Sussex landscape between the South Downs and Chichester Harbour, now home to his working studio and a CIC Learning organisation.
His work is currently exhibited in 'The Open: Odyssey' at Hastings Contemporary and Sculpture in the City (14th Edition), curated by LACUNA Projects in collaboration with the City of London Corporation.