URSULA BURKE
Supplicants
2022
A wave is sweeping around the globe where discontent and disillusion in the establishment is ripe. We are in the middle of a global transformation where turbulence and a revolt are witnessed in many countries. How can the phenomenon of populism and the rise in extreme versions of nationalisms, not be seen as an aberration or a singular event but a symptom of something much larger. Where and how do we find meaning when the structures upon which we anchor our lives such the family, religion and community are being eroded?
This exhibition includes a large volume of new work including soft sculpture, tapestry, drawing and approaches to fresco techniques. New and monumental sculptural pieces, inspired by Classical sculpture and architecture weave throughout the exhibition. Influenced by conventions in Classical architecture and statuary a life sized sculpture of a Caryatid can be found, made mainly of wool and porcelain, she is a symbol of a lone woman, used as a pillar to support the entablature of a building on her head. A large new wool tapestry titled Still Life - Tapestry is on view. This work prospects conventions around representation and display in Medieval and Renaissance wall tapestries, which were in themselves expressions of power relations and societal hierarchies. These varied material explorations newly encompassing an enlargement of scale are motivated by a rich and sincere engagement with materials that are often overlooked, underestimated or relegated to the domestic/female domain.