WORKS IN CONTEXT / 08/05/10 - 16/05/10
CLAIRE BURBRIDGE
Exhibition runs: Saturday 8th, Sunday 9th, Saturday 15th, Sunday 16th May / 11am – 6pm
At all other times by appointment
Location: 16 Denman Road, London SE15 5NP
Claire Burbridge explores the ways in which the human body can disintegrate and lose its perceivable form. Meticulous observation is combined with a delicate sensitivity to the particularities of human life. Her interest in the figurative is expressed in a range of mediums- from etchings to highly inventive resin sculptures, which use the properties of light and pigment not commonly associated with sculpture.
Trained as a printmaker, Burbridge employs the techniques of etching and mono-print as a means to continuously develop her understanding of the human form, through detailed studies of life models. She often manipulates these long-established methods by introducing adaptations to the printing process to fragment the final composition. The deconstruction and isolation of selected sections of the visible world forms a theme throughout her work, an ongoing motif particularly visible in her sculptures. Meditative and still in their tone, the bronze and wax figurative sculptures represent people trapped in the eternal conditions of their own world. Some represent sleeping or falling figures, while others are intimately portrayed in pairs, evoking a certain vulnerability. All of these human states render the outside world unintelligible or of little consequence to the depicted figure.
Translucent colour and light add an unusual dimension to her resin sculptures which, unlike the wax and bronze works, represent the figure in negative space – the absent figure enclosed in a clear cast resin block partially tinted with pigment. These works are created using a highly skilled method similar to lost wax casting with bronze. Chemicals are poured into a mould containing a wax sculpture and, on mixing, these chemicals react to form a clear and solid resin. This reaction is exothermic, and therefore in the process of hardening the immense heat given off by the resin causes the wax to melt and pour out of the mould. This leaves a void inside the resin block locking in the pigment that spreads out from the coated surface of the wax work into the resin. Burbridge combines her contemporary technical process with a number of art historical references ranging from the Post-Impressionist sculptures of Rodin, Claudel and Rosso to the fragmented Hellenistic remains of of Pergamon. Her resins contain delicate structures, where fragments and details compel one to closer inspection.
Using highly developed technical skills in a variety of materials, the artist maintains an intuitive approach to her practice. The works in this exhibition are representative of an ongoing and dynamic creative fascination for aspects of the human body. This is a rare opportunity to view such a large collection of Burbridge's output exhibited in her own home and workspace. The domestic context of this show subtly frames the work, complementing its intimate nature far better than the white box format of the standard gallery.
Claire Burbridge is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford and Camberwell College of Art. Solo exhibitions include Works In Context, SUMARRIA LUNN, Denman Road/SE15, London, Sculptures and Drawings, William Angel Gallery, London (2008), Toomey Tourell Gallery, San Francisco (2007), Nomads: Claire Burbridge, Davis & Cline Gallery, Ashland, Oregon (2007) and Attendi Art Gallery, London (2003). Group shows include Claire Burbridge & Matthew Picton, Toomey Tourell, San Francisco (2010), The Medical Foundation Art Auction, SUMARRIA LUNN, John McAslan + Partners/Royal Institution of Great Britain, London (2009), Bridge Art Fair, Berlin (2008), Belgravia Contemporary, London (2008) and Zoo Art Fair with Toomey Tourell Gallery, London (2007). The artist was awarded the National Sculpture Prize in 2008.
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Claire Burbridge – Works In Context
Exhibition runs: Saturday 8th, Sunday 9th, Saturday 15th, Sunday 16th May / 11am – 6pm
At all other times by appointment
Location: 16 Denman Road, London SE15 5NP
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