Faces and figures meld and swirl in multi layered, mixed media, collage rich, paint rich surfaces from popular artist Corinna Button as she is welcomed back to her home city Sheffield for her solo show at Hillsborough's Cupola Gallery.
The phrase ‘to scratch the surface’ means to only understand something superficially. Breaking through implies on the way to achieving your goals or dreams. Both could be descriptors of the reductive techniques found in Corinna Button’s work. This dual meaning of the physicality of Corinna’s work and the desire for a deeper meaning is the driving force behind her new exhibition.
“People are the subjects of my work and I am intrigued by moments that, despite initially appearing quite commonplace, are (for me) charged with great significance and meaning. My inspiration is drawn from experiences or predicaments I encounter in daily life, such as social gatherings, images from social media and words from a song or a poem. All these generate ideas for themes that I can build upon, “dress-up” and weave into my work. I compose figures either in groupings or as a single figure or just a face. My aim is not to create exact likenesses, but rather to create prototypical or archetypal figures whose personality or identity is both partly exposed and partly hidden beneath the surface. Everything about the way I work (both technique and subject) is motivated by the desire to reveal or “bring something to light.” Thus my process involves layering then scraping back, building then excavating; otherwise, peeling back layers to “carve out” and reveal something hidden beneath the surface.
It is through these painted or printed figures that I wish to project recognisable aspects of human experience. I want to compel and to draw the viewer in for a closer look at and beyond the surface.”
– Corinna Button
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