Penny Contemporary
187 Liverpool Street
Hobart Tasmania, Australia
How often do we get out work done a week or so early? Not often, in my experience. Luckily Camilla completed her works for Meager Form early, and we got to reap the benefits. Here’s a look into my studio visit with her!
Meager Form is comprised of sculptures and collographs that depict the relationship between strength and vulnerability. Camilla, who has been greatly influenced by TS Eliot for this series, spoke with me for about an hour and we discussed everything from art, to neighbors, family and social trends.
Camilla used her own hands as a guide for these sculptures and was able to vary them in size and gesture. They’re beautfully depicted, all the way down to the lines in the palms which are curiously detailed. The weight of hands versus the weight of hair provide a little fight. You only have parts of a body to create an identity, if that’s even what you want to do. Camilla’s works are intentionally left unidentified which leaves ample room for wonder. Whose body could be attached to these hands or feet or braid of hair? It could be yours, mine, your professor’s, maybe your mom from a few years ago or the hand of someone you have yet to meet. It’s pretty magical to think about.
Though these limbs leave room for you to elaborate on, they are also representative of the things we potentially have in common. We’re all ideally born with ten fingers and a set of life lines to get our palms read. The exploration of identity is high right now, which makes Camilla’s works stand out even more. There is no eye color, shape, finger nail, or skin color to point out and run with.
Alternatively, there’s is much security to be found in There is space all around you. Wrapped in itself, these feet are kept warm, cozy and safe. It’s like creating a personal bubble; there’s space for yourself provided by yourself, which immeditely led me to the idea of the imporance of self care.
We can have our heads in the clouds, just as long as our feet are on the ground – isn’t that how it goes? Camilla’s works trigger a number of varying thoughts to tinker with.
Reminicent of etchings, the prints below were made through the process of collography. The images are carved onto board, covered in ink and transfered onto paper. This was my first experience with it. Of course, I asked her if she ever considered incorporating color (I bet she’s gotten that one too many times.) I realized that it’s unnecessary because the texture created with this technique is so deep, that they are extremely vibrant as is.
Meager Form ships off to Penny Contemporary this week. If you have the chance, I recommend saying hello to Camilla and checking out the work personally!
PS, Camilla has a new system of screen printing and it’s with watercolor. Check out the following piece, along with many others in With Liberty and Justice for Some at Walter Maciel Gallery Los Angeles, starting January 7th, 2017.
