Exhibited in the 'Metamorphosis' collection by Ghada Al Camelia, at Turf Projects in Croydon, from 21/02/2024-02/03/2024. Curated by myself, including embroidered leaves to frame the photos, I decided against using hand crafted materials or store bought frames as I felt that this distracted from the organic nature of the series.
Artist Statement given for Metamorphosis:
The recurring theme of exile in literature and mythology, is one that leads many characters, (for better or worse), finding themselves alone in a forest.
However, take Shakespeare’s ‘As you like it’, or the ancient tale of sorceress Circe, and it doesn’t take long to see that this banishment, albeit scary at first glance, can also sometimes lead to a sense of freedom that they’d previously never been able to experience.
Depicting the bridge between loneliness & fear, and liberation & discovery, this photo series follows a nymph exploring their new unnaturally natural home, and how they begin to find contentment within it, slowly growing into their environment.
I named the series after a similar Nymph, with an opposite fate: Echo, whose tales tell of her banishment by the goddess Hera, whom the nymph sent into a jealous rage. Although iterations of the story differ, this banishment strips her of her freedom and curses Echo to life trapped in a cave, only able to repeat the ends of people's sentences.
Posing the question: 'If forgotten by everyone but nature, how would you go on to thrive?'
