Sunday 27 April 2014

Jessica Albarn - Resurrection - Artist Statement

The Crypt of St John The Baptist, Broad St, Bristol
18th April - 27th April 2014


An interest in death began as a child when my first rabbit died and I dug it up.
I must have been only five or so at the time. It filled me with horror and fascination. But what drove me to do it was to resurrect my rabbit and hold on to the life that was lost. It was an experience that had a big impact on my creativity in future years. When I draw dead things I do so because I want to draw out the beauty, preserving it and disconnect it from the decay, treasure it and in some sense resurrect it.

For the exhibition in the crypt I wanted to create work that I hope embraced the space and connected with the ancient symbolism within it. To make sense in my mind on a modern level the alchemy of the elements At a time when our natural world is under threat. To bring back the extinct and treasure the rare and dying.

As we now all know the bees are under serious threat through a deadly combination of pesticides and fungicides used in crops as well as other polluting factors including car exhaust. They also face a loss of diversity of quality food sources as mono-crops take over more land. The Human Race is dependent on these pollinators to grow food and without them we will begin to starve, alongside many other species.

Often art is big and monumental and masculine in tradition. The big and masculine in our world has done a lot of damage to nature. My work is in contrast to that in celebrating and nurturing the small and the endangered. Within this Crypt there is a Green Man. An ancient spirit of nature and a symbol of rebirth, irrepressible vitality and love of nature and so it felt the right place to bring all these elements together in the spirit of new life. Resurrection!

All works are for sale email jessica@jessicaalbarn.co.uk for full sales PDF.

June 13th 2014
‘Resurrection’ 
Opens at The Lawrence Alkin Gallery, 42 New Compton Street, London WC2H 8DA

June 14th/15th
Drawing performance in the garden of The Natural History Museum, London.