Darbyshire were excited to get the chance to work again with Joanna Kirk on her latest exhibition, taking place at Blain|Southern this month and into October.  For the show we created a set of brushed aluminium tray frames, each housing an Optium-faced acrylic box to preserve the large scale pastel artworks.

Joanna Kirk

Blain|Southern
4 Hanover Square, London W1S 1BP

09 September – 03 October, 2015
Private View: Tuesday, 08 September, 6 – 8pm

From Blain|Southern:

Blain|Southern is delighted to present an exhibition of new large-scale works in pastel by Joanna Kirk. Fusing drawing and painting, Kirk is one of the few contemporary artists working solely with pastel, attracted by the pure pigment and ability to manipulate colour and texture directly with the fingers.

Her works are expansive yet enveloping in their detail. Rather than depicting physical space, she creates psychological landscapes that explore ideas of isolation, motherhood, the human condition and our complex relationship with nature. Kirk addresses such intangible concepts by turning physical natural objects into almost abstract and unearthly manifestations.

Recent works draw from the ever evolving topography of Iceland and the isolated valleys and woodlands of North Wales. Through layer upon layer of pastel pigment she builds scenes of tangled roots, interlaced branches and rugged rock formations. Hidden within these compositionally rich and complex landscapes are figures whose presence and position lead the narrative and mood of the piece.