Born in 1975 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Frances Goodman is today considered one of the country’s leading artists. Her working practice focuses primarily on women and contemporary notions of beauty and desire.
FEMALE IDENTITY
Her interests lie in female identity and the anxieties that manifest and are cultivated from the bombardment of the media as well as societal expectations and pressures (both self-imposed and external). Desire and morality are underlying themes and talk to the push-pull of our contemporary society. Using false nails and glitter, the artist creates imposing and humorous sculptures revealing, with a subtle subversion, the stereotypes that still surround women. Situated within a lineage of female artists who have worked with fiber art, soft sculpture and organic material, Kate MccGwire (born in 1965 and based in the UK) explores form, space, and volume through her work.
BOUNDARY CREATURES
The artist’s hybrid, «boundary creatures» often fill their framing devices and appear to writhe within them. MccGwire is interested in the interplay of opposites which runs like a leitmotif through her work. It is as if the work needs that tension to create its own internal equilibrium; it is an expression of the duality she sees all around her and the materials she chooses needs to be able to physically embody this. False-nails and sequins for one, feathers for the other, the works of these two artists share the similarities and transform the overlooked material into works of great beauty.
INFO
Practical information: Untitled Art Miami Beach, Ocean Drive and 12th Street, Miami Beach, Florida; from December 6 to December 10, 2023.
