In an age increasingly characterised by an emphasis on surface appearances over substance, and external attributes over intrinsic qualities, it would be easy to become disconnected or apathetic to the sense of depthlessness that pervades the contemporary condition. Artists have and will always continue to use the contemporary contexts that surround them as the raw material for peering beyond the façade of appearance to the complexities of the human experience that lies beneath.
Unpeeled brings together a collective of artists from the graduating cohorts of BA (Hons) Fine Art: Studio, Site and Context, BA (Hons) Documentary Photography and Visual Activism, and BA (Hons) Photography in the Arts programmes at Swansea College of Art, UWTSD. The artists involved reflect upon their personal and collective experiences, exploring themes of history, the Anthropocene, trace, memory, myth, identity, technology and politics through an embracing of the ever-expanding dialogue between Fine Art and Photographic practice.
Staff of the Fine Art and Photography programmes at Swansea College of Art, UWTSD wish to thank the Unpeeled collective for the harmonious organisation and deft execution of their exhibition and congratulate them on producing such engaging bodies of work. We wish them every success with their future endeavours.
Ewan Coombs / Sid Lloyd’s ongoing body of work Dirty Being draws on human interaction with sites of degradation, sedimentary build up, and places where life forms out of manmade detritus. Incorporating clay, installation and drawing, this multidisciplinary practice is born from material explorations. The work explores the destruction of the environment and our role within it; thus the viewer is invited to imagine a symbiotic rather than parasitic relationship with nature.
Mcfarland’s multidisciplinary practice explores themes of abandonment through the exploration of place. Drawing upon the psychological impact of those living amongst such deprivation, his practice takes influence from the post-war architecture of the local environment surrounds him in South Wales.
Amber Marsh’s current practice delves into the realms of introspection and emotional processing through the lens of the natural and immediate landscapes that surround us. Through a combination of watercolour, photography, and handmade books, she documents emotional connections with found objects, views, and ephemera that cross her path as she navigates new locales and experiences.
Marsh’s work is an invitation to explore the depths of our connections, both interpersonal and with the world around us, challenging us to see beyond the surface and appreciate the profound interactions that define our existence.
Lucca-Redcliffe is a multi-disciplinary artist, whose practise is a continuous exploration of portraying the self through the colour red. Working with red challenges Lucca-Redcliffe, removing security and comfort, replacing it with an intense and provoking pigment. Lucca- Redcliffe embeds honesty and a rawness throughout the process of deconstructing a material to reveal intimacy and the sensitivity from within. This enables her to communicate through a visual dialogue of a response from an interaction of touch, between body and material. She intends to create as an invitation to immerse a viewer into an environment that is a perspective of the internal self.
Within his current practice, Daniel Lewis explores the intricacies of his experience with internalised homophobia, and queer life in a heteronormative environment. Through a blend of introspection and social commentary, Lewis explores the nuances of the male nude and other imagery adopted by the queer community, keen to understand how and when does something that isn’t innately sexualised or gendered become perceived as “gay”, and challenging those ideologies.
Walk Through is built around the complexity of gender stereotypes, femininity and internalised misogyny. Drawing upon feminist art history, her own personal experiences and those of people around her, Rees conveys her lived experience. This establishes a relatable and confrontational commentary on societal stereotypes and expectations of femininity.
Rees multidisciplinary practice confronts the male gaze, revealing other people’s realities of navigating the construct of gender, femininity and misogyny in today’s society.
Phillips multidisciplinary practice incorporates self-portraiture and has risen from a strong interest in Victorian and contemporary architectural design. Exploring notions of femineity, her self-portraiture deconstructs the concept of the male gaze within both historical and contemporary debate, through a feminist perspective.
Oisín McDaid’s work focuses on identity and perception, blending A.I. image generation with traditional painting techniques to challenge our humanity in an age of advancing technology.
McDaid’s current body of work has shifted away from the use of self-portraiture and has instead focused on using ‘found’ imagery in order to create his large-scale mixed media collages, that incorporate A.I. as a collaborative tool.
The work produced by McDaid aims to spark conversations about technology’s role in shaping our understanding of identity and what it truly means to be human.
The title of this series comes from Cormac McCarthy’s novel, t which contemplates the ephemerality of parts of our lives that we would consider permanent. This series of paintings addresses the temporality of our relationships, as well as the acceptance of their absence.
By painting on unprimed canvas, these works are vulnerable to decomposition. There is potential for decay, UV light deterioration, cracking and other factors that will ultimately leave the painting irrevocably changed from how it once was.
Hughes is exploring the intertwined nature of sound and mark making through abstract expressionist techniques like action and colour field painting. Hughes creates visceral marks and textures through the use of traditional and handmade tools, while actively listening to an eclectic range of music genres to influence his actions.
Amato’s body of work Reveal explores the sentimentality held in the objects and the locations of the home. Inspired by memory and recollection of familiar people and places, she explores the complexities of simple moments, against the world that is forever moving.
Using her archive of family photographs and working with watercolour, her work investigates feelings of nostalgia and melancholy.
Gomes’ multidisciplinary practice is led by conceptual and cultural research into actions such as gardening, and the use of technology. This communicates the sense of “interbeing” where Gomes finds the links between art, audience, life itself, and the everything inbetween.
She reflects upon the importance of art practice when dealing with a specific site, through installation, performance and time-based media.
Grappling with society’s use and abuse of the animal world, Kane’s work draws attention to the unnecessary suffering of millions of animals in a world defined by an increased demand for animal products, irrespective of their welfare.
Large-scale drawings and sculptures challenge notions of abjection and repulsion by reflecting on the invisible violence that permeates the meat and dairy industries.
As society advances at an ever-increasing pace, the disposable nature of not only material objects, but the groups of people within it have been heightened. Through her multi-disciplinary practise, Lola Preston aims to humanise and bring a sense of reality back to these individuals, challenging the typical conventions inflicted upon us by the current consumerist nature of the world.
Nada’s practice explores a variety of contexts related to global politics, such as conflict, activism, and nature.
Her paintings and sculptures explore the materialities of the mediums she uses, to infer a response to our proximity to nature, highlighting the shrinking existence of greenery in cities and a disturbing disconnection from nature in modern life.
Her most recent sculpture is a new departure where she wishes to represent women who are actively and politically involved in our changing society.
