My current work responds to the human body and the life drawing class.
Many artists and academics today see the life drawing class as outmoded and irrelevant to the contemporary artist. Through my work I investigate if sketches produced in the life drawing class can be used to produce contemporary art and if taking the poses out of the traditional environment alters people’s responses for example the sexualizing of a pose in the media.
Using traditional techniques to produce sketches in the life drawing class provides the inspiration for my work. Developing these drawings I use contemporary materials and techniques to create small-scale sculptural pieces, digitally created images and prints that interpret traditional poses in a contemporary way.
My soft sculptures imitate the poses of the life drawing class and capture the voluptuous qualities of the models flesh, inviting the viewer to respond in different ways. I use nylon tights to create the feeling and impression of skin because this is a contemporary material and that is a piece of clothing associated with femininity. The sculptures have no facial features to encourage engagement with the pose rather than the face.
I use abstract prints and sculptural suggestions of form to convey emotion, not through realistic representation or gesture but through the spaces and contortions emotions affect on the body. These works reflect emotions such as despair and exhaustion, which are currently prominent in news coverage of the refugee crisis.
The viewers’ response and engagement with my work will provide insight into the questions I ask.