Elizabeth is ‘Moving On’ with Oriel Davies exhibition

A new body of work by artist Elizabeth Brickell will be shown for the first time at the Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown from June 25 to August 29.

Part of the TestBed programme, ‘Moving On’ is an exhibition with its origins based around an assortment of spoons of various sizes and dimensions.

Each of these spoons presents its own unique individuality, which is all the more heightened when the artist transposes it into a thin latex cast.

Taking casts from all of these spoons has resulted in a collection of delicate skins. These skins - thin and fragile and unable to fulfil the functionality associated with their form - reference the act of ‘moving on’ or reinventing a ‘new’ which results in the leaving behind of something ‘that was’.

This, combined with the symbolism of the original object as a tool to nurture or even survive, highlights the vulnerable situation of many human lives resonating particularly at the moment with those who are displaced.

Brickell’s work often references the fluctuation between human presence and human absence. After graduating from Bristol Polytechnic in 1983 with a BA (hons) in Fine Art, Brickell was employed as a bronze foundry technician.

Her existing passion for sculpture was fuelled by learning the fascinating technique of lost wax casting and having the opportunity to work on sculptures by Dame Elisabeth Frink, Leonard McComb and Ralph Brown.

In 1985, she studied for a post graduate diploma at Cyprus School of Art near Paphos. On return to the UK in 1986, Brickell settled in Wales, married and became a part time art tutor for Aberystwyth University (SELL) whilst continuing to work as an artist.

She studied for an MA in Fine Art at Swansea Metropolitan University and graduated in 2010 with a distinction.

She is a member of Fibre Art Wales and Arts Care Gofal Celf and has recently been commissioned to create a piece for Age Cymru’s Gwanwyn Festival, which celebrates creativity in older age. Gwanwyn is supported by the Welsh Government and the Arts Council of Wales.

Oriel Davies Gallery is open free of charge from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

Picture caption:

Latex Spoons from Elizabeth Brickell’s ‘Moving On’ exhibition.