Sarah Staton New work Emily Tsingou Gallery is pleased to present Sarah Staton's first solo exhibition with the gallery. Central to Staton's work is a consideration of how aesthetics and ideologies are transformed by time and place. In particular Staton is concerned with how Modernism was assimilated in England, how it has been processed since and become manifest in our present consumer culture. The legacy of Modernism pervades western society - evident in an obsession with a style for living', fetishised by interior design stores, and in countless lifestyle, design and fashion magazines. Staton's work can be seen in conversation with such aesthetic models. The work presented at the gallery was made in response to 1930s architecture, specifically, a public library in Sheffield. Taking the function of the building as a starting point, Staton's creations incorporate systems of storage and display, whilst counterbalancing this utility with decorative aspects. Referencing twentieth century European furniture and design as well as paying homage to Surrealists De Chirico and Ernst, the paintings and sculptures resonate with contemporary society's populist pastiche of the Modernist style. Staton explores the relationship between art and its context - social, physical, historical, or political. The codes and principles of the broader commercial world lie at the heart of her work, which in the past has addressed issues of commerce, national identity, and socio-political situations. The sculptures and paintings presented at the gallery acknowledge today's post-capitalist market environment - how individuality is negotiated through the trends and fashions of a consumption-driven culture. Sarah Staton studied at Central St. Martin's School of Art and currently lives and works in Sheffield. Her solo exhibitions include KJUBH Kunstverein, Koln; Graves Gallery, Sheffield; "Green, or how we missed Modernism" at Milton Keynes Gallery. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London; in "Broken English" at the Serpentine; in "Bad Behavior" at the Hayward Gallery; and in "Independence" at the South London Gallery. Public collections include: Arts Council England; British Council; British Museum; Henry Moore Institute; South London Gallery; Tate. Staton is well known for "SupaStore" - a series of group shows / art stores for the distribution of multiples and low cost artworks. The project reflected on the art market, the idea of context in defining value and meaning, and in selling editions, revised the idea of commissioner. It first opened on Charing Cross Road, London in 1993 and was subsequently exhibited at the Cornerhouse, Manchester and Arnolfini, Bristol, before touring internationally with the British Council exhibition "Multiplication". Exhibition: 8 September - 6 October 2006 Opening hours: Tues-Fri 10 am - 6 pm, Sat 10 am - 1 pm Emily Tsingou Gallery 10 Charles II Street GB-London SW1Y 4AA Telephone +44 (0)20 7839 5320 Fax +44 (0)20 7839 5321 Email emily@emilytsingougallery.com www.emilytsingougallery.com |
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