Daphne Wright

THE ARNOLFINI - DAPHNE WRIGHT

Fine Art and Sculpture - Week 2

As a group, the foundation course took a trip to Bristol, where we visited The Arnolfini, The M Shed and Spike Island.

The Arnolfini held an exhibition of the artist Daphne Wright titled ‘Emotional Archaeology’, where we were offered a new perspective on difficult issues relating to class, aspiration, faith, parenthood, aging and care. Wright has a keen interest in the nature of materials often involving labour-intensive processes, using fragile or unstable materials such as unfired clay or marble dust, resin casts.

Clay Heads, 2009 - Unfired clay

The photo above is an installation titled ‘Clay Heads’. Within this piece Wright has explored the subject of children and childhood, from both the adult and child’s point of view. Working with unfired clay Wright has combined it with the naive style and surrealism of children’s art. The faces appear vulnerable as they are not fully moulded, with simply a gouge or scrape for the features.

Stallion, 2014 - Marble dust, Resin

In this full-sized cast of a stallion, Wright has successfully combined the tragedy of a great historical figure with the majesty of a powerful heroic animal. Upturned and struggling the stallion successfully retains its anatomical grandeur, making us question the way we view animals and life as a whole, as we would normally find sculptures such as this standing grandly on top of a plinth. The immense size of the stallion evokes emotion within the viewer, offering a side of nature that would not normally be seen. 

Wrights work is thought provoking and addresses issues relating to our current political climate that are often side-lined. She shows how casting, as a method, can be used to create large three-dimensional pieces of work that engages with and occupies the viewer's thoughts.