Drawing a Line Under Torture

Drawing a Line Under Torture, Freedom from Torture‘s biennial charity art auction takes place 8 November 2017 – 12 November 2017 at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, South Bank, London

To bid on the work below and many other pieces, please follow the link:
http://ow.ly/6pCf30g8Ona

All works will continue to be on display until the close of the public exhibition and will be available for collection from Tuesday 14 November 2017

Freedom from Torture is a UK-based human rights organisation, and one of the largest torture rehabilitation centres in the world; it is the only specialist national charity working to ensure the rehabilitation and protection of torture survivors seeking refuge in the UK. Since it’s establishment in 1985, more than 57,000 survivors of torture have been referred to us.

Fonte (Fount)
Cotton fibre pulps, direct dyes
52cm x 47cm
2017
Guide Price: £760
Framed

Irma Irsara’s work is heavily influenced by the natural environment in which she grew up – the foothills of Monte Croce in the Italian Dolomites. She has a special interest in ecology, conservation and climate change. ‘Fonte’ reflects an early childhood moment in a place revisited but now changed due to the effects of stream erosion. The title refers not only to rising water through cracks in the bedrock but also the idea of innocent thought set against the backdrop of succeeding stages of life.

Irsara’s practice encompasses a broad range of media and techniques with the ‘pulp work’ representing a large part of her recent output. The wet-on-wet process involves building up strata of dyed pulp which can be further modified through embedding, sculpting, ripping, embossing etc. She exhibits both in the UK and abroad.

Watermarks

watermark 06Rising water levels – evident even along the local London canals – is the theme of a series of paper pulp works, a selection of which I’m showing at the London Canal Museum. As well as signifying the water line, the title refers to the ‘watermark’ effect incorporated in each of the paper pulp works, achieved by varying the thickness of the fibre during the making process.

An installation of melting and dripping ice is also on show, where hanging paper becomes tinted through capillary action. The short video work, Sciogliere e ritrovare, can be seen on the ground floor.

I’ll be demonstrating techniques and running a paper-making workshop using edible plants on Sunday 28 July, 11:00 to 16:00 with the chance to make your own paper.

The exhibition continues until 31st July.

watermark 07

In queste due insallazioni  l’arte incontra la scienza.

Watermark 7 - 31 x 54 cm 2013watermark 05

I marchi d’acqua alta erano molto piu evidenti nel inverno 2012/2013 e camminando lungo il canale mi hanno portato a fare lavori su marchi nella carta che possono essere intesi in due modi – I marchi come luce e i marchi come livelli di misure nell’acqua. Presto la carta diventera privilegio.

Oltre sono esposti due altre opere, un’installazione, Acqua, colore e ghiaccio (azioni capillari) e un video installazione dove le  poesie di Frances Presley si intrecciano con il ghiaccio (climate change).

watermark 04