Wymondham Arts Centre is staging Unlaced – clothing and the female form, an exhibition of work by Norfolk artists, curated by Krys Leach, from Tuesday 18 September to Sunday 30 September, open daily 10am to 5pm (Sunday 12noon to 5pm), free entry.
The exhibition features David Cottrell (paintings), Helen Dixon (ceramics), Krys Leach (paintings), Tracy Myers (prints and digital), Elaine Nason (paintings and prints), Emily Spragge (cyanotypes), Rebecca Spragge (corsetry), Louise Richardson (made objects) and Sarah Wilson (etchings).
Vivienne Weeks, former chair of the Norwich Textile and Costume Association is also including dresses, hats and shoes from the 1880s to 1980s to complement the artists’ work, notably a muslin dress with bustle from 1880 (at the end of restricted clothing), a Christian Dior gown from 1954 in bronze taffeta, presenting the vision of the ultimate woman and a Jean Paul Gaultier creation (c 1980), which features the outline of the ‘perfect female form’ suggesting hidden promise.
Krys Leach, curator said: “The female image is one of the most evocative forms of art. Her body has dictated style – in art and fashion – but it has also been moulded by it. Some of the work is innovative and eye-opening. Some is witty, and some is just ravishing. It all adds up to a vibrant celebration of a subject that is as enduring as it is varied.”
Professor Arthur Lucas, Chairman Wymondham Arts Centre said: “Two exhibitions each year are presented for the Arts Centre by an invited artist. We are very pleased that Krys Leach accepted the invitation to curate our September show. Unlaced is a departure for us, a themed exhibition in a variety of styles and media. We are grateful to the Friends of the Wymondham Art Centre for underwriting this exciting show, which will be a highlight of a strong season.”
Wymondham Arts Centre is at Becket’s Chapel, 2 Church Street, Wymondham NR18 0PH,
email [email protected], www.wymondhamarts.com.
The contributors
David Cottrel, former Head of Art at Sheringham High School, spent a number of years living and working in the United Arab Emirates and has returned with perceptive insights into the role of the abeya. He draws some startling contrasts on canvas juxtaposing highly shrouded portraits of Arabic women with academic nudes in the European tradition. In doing so, he questions which is truly the more revealing: a pair of eyes seen through a slot in the fabric or a whole unadorned body?
Helen Dixon is a quirky ceramicist who creates ‘sketches’ of the female form in relief on shaped tiles. Bursting with spontaneity and vigour, they highlight an often overlooked virtue of femininity: its sheer vitality.
Krys Leach is a lavish painter of the female form. His subject is a timeless one and a reminder of the subject at the heart of Unlaced. His medium is texture and light but it suggests something profoundly human: a state of existence, the vividness of desire or a simple private moment.
Tracy Myers presents an original combination of traditional and contemporary techniques. A virtuoso draughtswoman who elaborates her drawings digitally, she takes her inspiration from catwalk models of the forties and fifties and brings a contemporary sophistication to retro chic.
Elaine Nason paints and prints evocations of clothing in everyday life. Women choosing their wardrobe, pulling on stockings, going about their ablutions … They are touching reminders that even the mundane involves aesthetic decisions.
Louise Richardson is one of Norfolk’s foremost artists. Her dresses made from novel materials are a must-see attraction; as well as highly collectible. Nails, snake skin, modesty seed pods and hymn books reworked into familiar garments, her ingenious, beautiful creations invite us to question the nature of fabric and the purpose of adornment.
Emily Spragge uses a vintage technique to vivid contemporary effect with her cunning cyanotypes. In doing so, she performs a witty reversal, putting the woman on the fabric rather than the fabric on the woman – a clever reminder that disclosure is an integral part of concealment.
Rebecca Spragge’s work as a bespoke designer of wedding dresses requires her to bring a structural rigour to her sumptuous creations – see how the hand of the artist enhances the form beneath the material and the – sometimes – intricate engineering required to make a garment of such elegance.
Sarah Wilson makes intricate prints of dresses and other items of clothing. When you realise she has had to make these garments entirely in miniature first, their construction and scale take on unexpected and revealing connotations.
We can promote your business every week on the Iceni Post!
