Archive 2007-08
Isabel Young
- Venue: Fine Art Lecture Theatre
- Start: Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:30:00 GMT
- End: Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:00:00 GMT
Isabel Young is a British artist working in London. Her work explores our relationship with animals and the space of still life painting, casting animals in the leading roles, exploring our relationship and communication with the non-human world. She was a recipient of the Laing Solo Award, Newcastle. Her exhibition there runs from January19th until 13th April 2008.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Taking place in an intense and claustrophobic space, the non-human world is presented to the viewer in an artificial environment. Utilizing the language of still life painting Young's practice reveals an ordered and controlled world of display where animals are the protagonists. The work has grown out of an examination of the "interior landscapes" of zoological gardens, and in particular reptile aquariums, that stage living representations of the globe within a simulated natural world.
The work is generated though close observations of wildlife and of elaborate purpose built "sets" constructed in the studio using collected objects, artefacts and fabrics, as well as organic material, fruit, vegetation and animals such as fish and octopus. Through painting, the natural and living world is incorporated into the world of inanimate objects creating a hidden microcosm of animated space. Using the intense illumination of tenebrism, dark shadows take over much of the surface suggesting an unnatural space and the closeness of the room.
The paintings establish a hybrid space crossed between landscape and still life, and engage with issues surrounding zoo architecture, isolation and containment, the nature of animals, and our relationship and communication with the non-human world.