BETHAN MCFADDEN, JO HOUSE, MARTIN TOMSKY: THE EXQUISITE CORPSE

A mixed media, transcultural anatomical being, contemplating death, dissolution and transformation. This collaborative installation combines drawing, stained glass and laser-cut plywood by three artists. Additional works by the individual artists also on show.

Inspiration is drawn from a variety of sources with transformation at their root, including Buddhist and alchemical iconography, Hindu mythology, and the human body and mind.

Hindu Goddess Kali fiercely destroys challenging mental afflictions, such as anger and jealousy, transmuting this detrimental energy into spiritual power and liberation from suffering. Citipati, two dancing skeletons found in Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism that represent the cyclical flow of life and death, aid us in transforming our fear of death into a release of worldly attachments and egoic desires. The kapala, or skull cup, is an additional symbol of impermanence, used ritually to overcome attachment to the material world. Alchemical imagery can be found in the flames and crucible, representing the initial negredo stage of the process. This is dissolution, death, chaos. Before the transformation begins.

The human body is constantly changing physically, cells dying and being renewed, and as we are now commonly aware, with the popularisation of the term ‘neuroplasticity’, we are very capable of transforming our minds too. Through spiritual practices, therapies, and the use of alternative psychoactive medicines, we can create new neural pathways and completely transform stuck and embedded thought patterns.

The Exquisite Corpse is a physical embodiment of this transformation. It is born from the deconstruction of the original visual concept into separate parts for each artist to work on and explore creatively. The pieces then finally merge back together to become something new and more powerful than one individual artist could create.

Bethan McFadden:

Bethan McFadden creates drawings on paper and mixed media sculptures based on impermanence, different states of consciousness and the natural world. She has shown her work in a number of solo and group exhibitions in the UK and abroad, undertaken a residency in a wild animal refuge in Bolivia, and has had illustrations printed in creative environmental publication Dark Mountain, and in a recent non-fiction book. She holds a Bachelors in Drawing and a Masters in Prosthetic Effects. She is based in Cornwall, UK.

Jo House:

Jo House is a stained glass glazier and artist based in Falmouth and has lived in Cornwall for twelve years since moving from Devon in 2014. His work is heavily influenced by the art of esoterica and folklore, and the darker underlying themes of religion. He likes to juxtapose his work with the traditional connotations of stained glass as an ecclesiastical art form, delivering subversive notions of anti-establishment themes which question long standing societal structures. He has practiced stained glass for three years, carrying out a number of contemporary commissions and restorations and repairs of historic panels throughout Cornwall and Devon.

Martin Tomsky:

London based artist Martin Tomsky creates illustrative, relief pieces built up from layers of laser cut, stained plywood. These range in size and shape from very small items of jewellery to much larger, bespoke artworks. Each piece is hand assembled to create an organic object that bridges the gap between craft, illustration and sculpture. 

Bethan McFadden:

www.bethanmcfadden.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/bethan_mcfadden_art/

Jo House:

https://www.rumahstainedglass.com/

https://www.instagram.com/rumahstainedglass/

Martin Tomsky:

https://www.martintomsky.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tomskym/

BETHAN MCFADDEN, JO HOUSE, MARTIN TOMSKY: THE EXQUISITE CORPSE

Tuesday 21st – Saturday 25th July

Private View: Tuesday 21st July, 5-7pm

FREE ENTRY, EVERYONE WELCOME! 

***