Greenhorn

Thru 14 July 2012

Tintype is delighted to present Kira Freije's first solo show Greenhorn.

Freije's work considers the comedy of commodified aspiration and the fetishism of youthful desire. Sardonically suggestive, playing with style signifiers and a seductive dandyism, her sculptural presentations offer an irreverent aesthetic.

With the title of the exhibition, Freije tips her hat to a state of innocence possessed by the rookie or novice – wet behind the ears, yet eager and able to bring a fresh perspective. To make the pieces for Greenhorn, she apprenticed herself to a blacksmith in Sussex. Picking up the tricks of the trade and its traditional rules, Freije nods to – and subtly critiques – the outmoded.

The three sculptures in Greenhorn offer rural scenarios with a comically unsettling undertow, the suggestion of an interrupted narrative:

The work plays with the pastoral, recognising it as the root of naivety but unable to cut the cord. A parkland fence finds itself adorned with the trappings of Victoriana, burdened by decoration unfit for its basic frame. The trimmings of this rural scene are bound and gagged with their own ornamentation. Elsewhere, a forager’s spit disguises its makeshift structure with the remains of a shady encounter. Another work sees the uneasy union of bodging (green wood working), blacksmithing and pottery slip into a carnal embrace. (Kira Freije)

blog comments powered by Disqus

Photos by others, add your photo

See all photos