Fresh Eyes
Heather Allen
- Waygood Art Boutique
- Saturday 29 August - Saturday 5 September 2009
- Preview: 2-4pm Saturday 29 August
- Artist Talk: 1.30pm Saturday 29 August, Waygood Art Boutique*
Heather Allen has been modelling small self-portraits for several years. At first, they were female and then came male versions of herself, either clothed or naked. Several hundreds now exist, many in private collections.
The figures are individuals with their own gestures, expressions and actions and are exhibited in groups in response to their surroundings. Some stand alone, others interact with each other or observe the viewers. The constellations evoke subtle meanings and histories that the viewer unravels according to his/her own history.
Last year the artist started to combine the figures with constructed architectural elements such as ladders or towers, which stand as sculptures in themselves: previously the figures stood on plinths or shelves. Their size plays a decisive role in these combinations: the figures only have to stand near a tower for it to be transformed into a climbing apparatus for these 15 - 20 cm high creatures.
Heather Allen's work is deeply rooted in the psychological. The figures are a manifestation of her 'Self' and symbolise the poetic absurdity of life's situations. The towers and ladders leading upwards are motives for the striving for knowledge, which, however, pose more questions than answers. What remains, above all, are the transient moments that are created from one's own fantasy. The way is the goal.
*Limited capacity, please reserve by emailing to reserve your place.
Download an exhibition leaflet here
