Local / National / International

The Local / National / International exhibition at Lowry brings together three artists who share interests or work in similar mediums, in a trio of concurrent solo exhibitions. It champions ambitious work being made in the North of England, but also brings exciting artists to Salford for the first time, revealing the similarities and overlaps in their practices.

For this iteration, Aliyah Hussain, Paloma Proudfoot, and Renee So all use ceramics as a vehicle for imaginative storytelling, constructing contemporary narratives through objects, tableaus and immersive environments. Feminist ideas recur throughout, with the artists challenging gender norms and representation in engaging, seductive and sometimes humorous ways.

Aliyah Hussain – She Was Waiting For Her Roots.

Aliyah’s section of the exhibition takes inspiration from science fiction short story, The Sleep Of Plants. In the story the female protagonist, disillusioned with the realities of life, chooses to become a plant in the pursuit of solitude.

The environment, around which her ceramic creations worm and spiral around the periphery of the room, create a feel of being submerged in soil. You feel surrounded by roots of plants, as though you too are travelling the same journey to achieve solitude. The area is dark and feels very enclosed, with ambient lighting placed high above the displays, which help cast shadows downwards as though the surface of the ground has been broken, allowing natural light to penetrate sporadically. The soundscape throughout the exhibition is an eerie mix of noises.

Paloma Proudfoot – Lay Figure.

This section of the exhibition delves into the nineteenth century view on female mental health / hysteria, where there was a switch between treating patients as prisoners to treating them as patients in need of help and understanding.

Paloma uses ceramic and mixed media to create detailed representations of medical procedures, which surround the space.

Medical Things

Renee So – The Essence

Renee has recreated a series of over-sized perfume bottles, looking at modern day bottles to compare which original design features have carried through from the original designs. The bottles recreated are based on original bottles dated from between the 16th century up to the 19th, and would have contained perfume or snuff.

Also part of Renee’s space is a magic mirror – a Japanese mirror which, when light from it’s reflection is focused on a smooth surface, displays a hidden image.

Ceramic Jars

Performance

The final part of the exhibition, and was for an invited audience only, was a performance piece by Paloma Proudfoot in collaboration with Artist and Choreographer Aliela Piasecka and Composer Ailie Ormston. This was slow and captivating, with medical procedures seemingly being acted out upon the confused and distressed performer. Aliela skillfully and artfully incorporated some of the exhibition into her performance, holding and manipulating the ceramic torso, and she drew the audience in by silently communicating with individuals.

There will be another performance on the final day of the exhibition.