Paloma Varga Weisz
21 Oct - 19 Nov 2005
Paloma Varga Weisz
21 October to 19 November 2005
For her first solo exhibition in London, Paloma Varga Weisz presents a chorus of painted wood figures and a large group of works on paper. With their hands gently folded, their bodies truncated to the torso, the carved sculptures assume the role of mute, meditative observers. Carved in traditional lime-wood and painted with layers of softly polished paint, they recall the quiet decoration of choir stalls and pulpits in early churches. There are connections too with mysticism and eastern religions and with the cast of fairytales or the fanciful characters of Alice in Wonderland.
Varga Weisz's figures also represent a material version of emotional and psychological states. On paper they have a lightness and humour that often give way to a more melancholic feel once carved into wood. On occasion they appear like sweet and confused gargoyles - many have sprouted double heads, multiple sets of eyes and comic expressions: physical manifestations of psychological states of pleasure or anxiety.
© Paloma Varga Weisz / Sadie Coles HQ
21 October to 19 November 2005
For her first solo exhibition in London, Paloma Varga Weisz presents a chorus of painted wood figures and a large group of works on paper. With their hands gently folded, their bodies truncated to the torso, the carved sculptures assume the role of mute, meditative observers. Carved in traditional lime-wood and painted with layers of softly polished paint, they recall the quiet decoration of choir stalls and pulpits in early churches. There are connections too with mysticism and eastern religions and with the cast of fairytales or the fanciful characters of Alice in Wonderland.
Varga Weisz's figures also represent a material version of emotional and psychological states. On paper they have a lightness and humour that often give way to a more melancholic feel once carved into wood. On occasion they appear like sweet and confused gargoyles - many have sprouted double heads, multiple sets of eyes and comic expressions: physical manifestations of psychological states of pleasure or anxiety.
© Paloma Varga Weisz / Sadie Coles HQ