RHODES is excited to introduce conceptual artist, Zoë Hoare.
We will be presenting a solo exhibition of her works from the 12th of October at the Gallery.
Zoë Hoare is a recent masters graduate Fine Art at City and Guilds of London School of Art, interested in the dual processes of deconstruction and reconstruction, specifically in how surfaces such as paper can be taken apart and reassembled through their cutting and rearrangement.
Hoare aims to establish an uncanny harmony between the destructive technique of cutting and the often-delicate outcomes which emerge. She noticed that an interesting transformation takes place when something dimensional is wrapped or covered in a semi-translucent material, instantly making it appear flat and image-like.
There is a sense of illusion here, as the image is not what it first appears to be. As the veiled object makes contact with its frosted Perspex skin, light is allowed to pass between the two and the folds and incisions are illuminated as if from within. A visual language plays itself out from underneath creating what is perhaps best described as a ‘surface tension’.
The work’s complex processes of making emerges out of concerns that are not simply formal. Hoare would like to bring attention to how things can be perceived to what they actually are; it is the discrepancy between the two that fascinates her. The work operates between states of illusion and fact, and is in some ways an attempt to encourage the viewer to question how surface appearances and underlying structures are always intertwined and inseparable. She would like to slow down the dual processes of looking and thinking and through the mingling of illusion and materiality bring out an actuality of the thing itself.
This conceptual and creative process is the running theme throughout Hoare’s work. In all the pieces, a cutting action creates voids and portals to spaces beyond, and Hoare aims to draw attention to what exists above and below the surface and to allow the viewer to perceive the otherwise invisible.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Zoë about her creative practice, inspirations, and motives.
Hi Zoë, thanks for joining us today. We wanted to know what the starting place for your works is?
I’ve been experimenting with how surfaces such as paper can be taken apart and reassembled through cutting and rearrangement. It is a process where one stage leads to another and shapes, shadows, light and colour appear and alter throughout.
What kind of themes do you explore in your creative practice?
Illusion, beauty, delicacy, confusion, shadows, and light.
What draws you to a conceptual creating style?
I am rather led by process where I was interested in the transformation that takes place when something is shrouded with a frosted screen. Light is allowed to pass between the folds, hitting the frosted screen making it look as if the incisions are illuminated within.
For more information, please email info@rhodescontemporaryart.com.
