Sensi was a solo exhibition by Bristol based artist Hannah Kay hosted at Centrespace Gallery in Bristol, 2019. Aloys was invited to curate the exhibition by the artist, helping organise the exhibition design, select and arrange artworks and writing the interpretation text, including a contextual summary which can be read below.
More information can be found here.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Image credit: Hannah Kay.
Hannah Kay - SenSi
Conceived as an accessible and comical feminine critique of painting, sculpture and fine arts; SenSi offers viewers a tongue-in-cheek take on the contemporary ‘white cube’ gallery exhibition. The artist’s principle of making joyous installations is realised through a DIY aesthetic with brightly coloured sculptures made from recycled materials that turn the gallery space into a sensory playground.
The show features new works such as Spinner (2019) a mass of recycled and repurposed textiles mounted on a turning crank, which invites the viewer to engage with the sculpture driving it in the motion of a Victorian washing drum, and Hanging Fabrics (2019) a split sheet of bright pink material that guides the viewer through the parting as though they were passing through a giant pair of feminine legs. These works co-opt notions of gender roles in domestic life and highlight progress that has been made to redefine womens’ "place" within society.
The Modern Language of Love (2019) a set of tapestries depicting phases such as ‘lick my tits’ and ‘sit on my face’ cheekily raises the profile of flirtatious contemporary slang and further raises the idea of subverting traditional gender roles.
The Modern Language of Love (2019) a set of tapestries depicting phases such as ‘lick my tits’ and ‘sit on my face’ cheekily raises the profile of flirtatious contemporary slang and further raises the idea of subverting traditional gender roles.
Throughout the exhibition the artist’s sculptures seem to emanate with individual character such as The Modern Lady (2018), a motorised cone of seatbelts and spray paint slowly gyrating as if it’s unsure of its position in the world, acting as an almost unknowing self portrait of the artist capturing her affinity for bright colours and erratic methods of creation. The artist states of her practice “my methods are always changing, something could be used in one way today and become something completely different tomorrow”.
Taking inspiration from abstract expressionist paintings Frame (2019) subverts the visual language of abstract painting. Flowing across, round and through the negative space of an empty canvas stretcher; brightly coloured strips of textiles wave as the lines of a Jackson Pollock drip painting. These flowing fabric lines are repeated in free standing sculptures mimicking both the technique of abstract painting and the placement of objects in gallery spaces provoking an almost Duchampian response; after all who decides what is art anyway?