Wilson Gallery
In their joint exhibition Julie Cleverly and Patricia Stefanski collaborate to question the human construct or condition such as possessions and what makes us human. Do we need possessions in order to be ourselves?
For Stefasnki the practice of life-drawing is central to her work, capturing the sitter, without possessions and seeking to represent them as purely themselves. Drawing a distinction here between what a life-drawing can produce over that of a photograph the artist seeks to represent their personality through line, colour and atmosphere.
Cleverly seeks the same aims but through the medium of sculpture. Re-purposing existing materials, often the detritus of peoples possessions, she creates a dialogue between people and their material possessions. This is not dissimilar to how archaeologists will make assumptions of the role in civilisation an individual had based both on analysis of their remains and those items around them at time of burial.
“I am a member of the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society, Mall Gallery, London.To participate in drawing from life is very important to my working practice. My main interest is drawing the human figure and animals from life, I work mainly in charcoal and oils. In my work the sitter is often shown without any possessions as I wish to convey something of their personality, an emotional quality, and to connect to the viewer whether through expression, line, colour or atmosphere. In this world of cameras I seek to convey more than a photograph I look for moments in-between when a person is not posing (for the camera) moments such as self absorption reflection, concentration or tenderness.”
Patricia Stefanski, 2022 www.patriciastefanski.com
In all civilisations, material possessions carry social and cultural meanings. We use such things to identify and relate to ourselves and each other; our possessions also enable us to make sense of the world and the societal boundaries we live within. Objects and artefacts left from previous cultures are used by contemporary societies to judge, define and identify the level of sophistication, development and success of past civilisations. In my working process it is very important to search for and find new ways of representation and expression through sculpture; I use readily available natural objects and items manufactured and produced by the culture I inhabit to become the physical representation of an idea conceived through the very culture it derives from. I seek to instigate a social discourse by examining what contemporary objects can tell us, and future generations about our society, our approaches and attitudes prevalent in the media, business, industry, government and general society.”
Julie Cleverly, 2022 www.badbstudio.com
