Celebrating International Women’s Day today: preparing work in the studio for an exhibition In Florence in May that extends my conversation with women artists in history and continues my collaboration with Il Palmerino and the The British Institute of Florence (which sponsored an exhibition of mine in Florence over 20 years ago! ) Just preparing the blank surfaces from a 10 metre roll of Fabriano paper while gaining inspiration from the artists whose work surrounds me (in books and photos) – Kathe Kollwitz, Artemisia Gentileschi, Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun, Angelika Kaufmann, Elizabeth Chaplin. There will be a whole series of events in Florence as part of the “Oltrarno Gaze” with many artists and “artigiani” (craftspeople ) working towards it and highlighting the city’s rich and enduring tradition of artists and artisans. The Oltrarno area is my home from home in Florence.
Thanks to Lancelot Richardson for the photos and his invaluable assistance – this paper is a beast with its own physical force and needs at least four hands and a collection of heavy art books to help manage it!
The Exhibition at the historic Villa Il Palmerino from 5 May – 5 June is
Bridges. A Book Art Exhibition: contemporary women artists and their historic counterparts
My artist’s bookworks have taken many forms and for “Bridges” there will be both two and three dimensional works, using the sculptural potential of the paper to create columns with secret inner spaces which visitors can discover for themselves.