In her first solo presentation 'Simnel', artist Helena de Pulford explores her relationship to catholicism and her own assimilation of masculinity, in an installation of works formed almost exclusively from wax.
De Pulford’s personal relationship to Catholicism is a core basis for her practice – she explores ideas around transubstantiation; the ritual of giving bread and wine at Communion which then (as they are blessed) become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
In this, De Pulford examines the way the image of the body is displaced onto objects and what happens to that image when those objects go through a series of changes, or are made consumable in some way. For Simnel, she uses sculptural works made of wax with inlaid text, that are set alight, to track and perform the shifting relationship between objects and the body.
In Simnel, De Pulford uses Popeye as a symbol of paternal estrangement, paraphrasing his complicated relationship to his father ‘Poopdeck Pappy’ in selected texts. These provide reference to De Pulford’s own relationship with masculinity and its figures: father, lover, Christ. ‘Do Nothing Forever’ addresses her apathy towards these intense connections.
De Pulford’s personal relationship to Catholicism is a core basis for her practice – she explores ideas around transubstantiation; the ritual of giving bread and wine at Communion which then (as they are blessed) become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
In this, De Pulford examines the way the image of the body is displaced onto objects and what happens to that image when those objects go through a series of changes, or are made consumable in some way. For Simnel, she uses sculptural works made of wax with inlaid text, that are set alight, to track and perform the shifting relationship between objects and the body.
In Simnel, De Pulford uses Popeye as a symbol of paternal estrangement, paraphrasing his complicated relationship to his father ‘Poopdeck Pappy’ in selected texts. These provide reference to De Pulford’s own relationship with masculinity and its figures: father, lover, Christ. ‘Do Nothing Forever’ addresses her apathy towards these intense connections.
