Xxijra Hii is pleased to present EXTRA! EXTRA! An exhibition of raucous new paintings by Zoe Spowage. Spowage is an artist based in Leeds and an active member of art collective “PRECIOUS”. Her creative practice is rooted in drawing, painting and mixed media sculpture; embracing traditional approaches and a background in set design in a contemporary application.
In this new body of work, Spowage has invited us into a world of seemingly impulsive revelry; led by a faction of bold girls and superior women. The female form is central to Spowage’s practice, drawing inspiration from imagination and life, working intuitively with subject and material to create the playful, challenging and spontaneous characters and aesthetic we see in her visual and text based works.
In EXTRA! EXTRA! We are transported to an auditorium which harks back to familiar Lautrec style posters, a snapshot of the bohemian and hedonistic days of artists in the dark corners of 19th century Paris; but with a difference. In the backdrop of the 21st century, we are challenged with new modes of appreciating freedoms, expression and the body (of all strengths and sizes). Armed with a rebellious streak and a theatrical aesthetic, Zoe Spowage is here to make some noise. The scale of these works tower over us with chaotic scenes of the night, enveloping us into the theatre set whereby the artist is the director and we are placed in their shoes. You can almost imagine the metaphorical soapbox Spowage stands on as she paints.
Exploring familiar tropes of drinking, nudity, exposure and practical joking, we may have previously thought of these ‘women of the night’ as trashy and condemned by society, but with Spowage we see a playful vulnerability and matriarchal strength which inspires and sets the tone of a safe space to be ourselves. These small vignettes are peering into an underbelly which has been softened. A small world that simultaneously asks you to both let-loose and feel protected.
Spowage is a graduate of Falmouth University [2013] and since graduating she has been Shortlisted for British Women Artists prize 2018, awarded the Surface Gallery Prize in 2017, and the Nottingham Castle Open Prize in 2016. She has shown extensively in solo and group formats. Recent exhibitions include ‘Ruby’ at Charles Abbey Nottingham [2021] ‘Broadsheet’, Assembly House Leeds [2021] ‘Above the law (Girls in boots)’ Surface Gallery Nottingham [2017].Spowage has been selected for a range of UK based and international residencies which she is finds particularly enriching to her practice including: Charles Abbey - Nottingham 2021; Cyprus School of Art - Cyprus 2019/2020; ComPeung - Chiang Mai Thailand 2016; The Old Burtons - Ilkeston 2013/2014
Xxijra Hii is pleased to present EXTRA! EXTRA! An exhibition of raucous new paintings by Zoe Spowage. Spowage is an artist based in Leeds and an active member of art collective “PRECIOUS”. Her creative practice is rooted in drawing, painting and mixed media sculpture; embracing traditional approaches and a background in set design in a contemporary application.
In this new body of work, Spowage has invited us into a world of seemingly impulsive revelry; led by a faction of bold girls and superior women. The female form is central to Spowage’s practice, drawing inspiration from imagination and life, working intuitively with subject and material to create the playful, challenging and spontaneous characters and aesthetic we see in her visual and text based works.
In EXTRA! EXTRA! We are transported to an auditorium which harks back to familiar Lautrec style posters, a snapshot of the bohemian and hedonistic days of artists in the dark corners of 19th century Paris; but with a difference. In the backdrop of the 21st century, we are challenged with new modes of appreciating freedoms, expression and the body (of all strengths and sizes). Armed with a rebellious streak and a theatrical aesthetic, Zoe Spowage is here to make some noise. The scale of these works tower over us with chaotic scenes of the night, enveloping us into the theatre set whereby the artist is the director and we are placed in their shoes. You can almost imagine the metaphorical soapbox Spowage stands on as she paints.
Exploring familiar tropes of drinking, nudity, exposure and practical joking, we may have previously thought of these ‘women of the night’ as trashy and condemned by society, but with Spowage we see a playful vulnerability and matriarchal strength which inspires and sets the tone of a safe space to be ourselves. These small vignettes are peering into an underbelly which has been softened. A small world that simultaneously asks you to both let-loose and feel protected.
Spowage is a graduate of Falmouth University [2013] and since graduating she has been Shortlisted for British Women Artists prize 2018, awarded the Surface Gallery Prize in 2017, and the Nottingham Castle Open Prize in 2016. She has shown extensively in solo and group formats. Recent exhibitions include ‘Ruby’ at Charles Abbey Nottingham [2021] ‘Broadsheet’, Assembly House Leeds [2021] ‘Above the law (Girls in boots)’ Surface Gallery Nottingham [2017].Spowage has been selected for a range of UK based and international residencies which she is finds particularly enriching to her practice including: Charles Abbey - Nottingham 2021; Cyprus School of Art - Cyprus 2019/2020; ComPeung - Chiang Mai Thailand 2016; The Old Burtons - Ilkeston 2013/2014
Xxijra Hii
Enclave 4
50 Resolution Way,
London SE8 4AL
Xxijra Hii is a member of New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) and the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC).
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