JENNY SOUTHAM

摘要

Jenny Southam's work tells the story of a largely emollient world. Her subjects tilt towards the humorous and the decorative. The broad shouldered folk who inhabit her world are usually relaxed (often naked) and convey love of one another. The red earthenware she uses is decorated with slips that are brushed in an approximate way, splashes that recall the ceramics of the Tang dynasty. Certain areas are more precisely coloured to confirm a sense of realism and perhaps a reference to Staffordshire figures. Her people are joined by dogs, cats, and horses, but the scale of these often dwarfs her humans. A giant poodle (or is it really a massive piece of topiary?) is being clipped by an energetic lady on an inadequate step ladder. Her cats/lions with shield-like faces and decorative fur stand as guardians to a woman who keeps an arm around each of them. There is kindness, optimism, and a sense of something rather comforting in these works.