United Kingdom

I shudder, oft times despair, at the direction that so much of the dominant world is now travelling in - right-wing populist, nay neo-fascist, governments; a severe erosion of human rights, humanity and empathy in the face of extreme cruelty, even genocide; and a return to the patterns of environmentally destructive behaviours upon this our unique and precious planet.

The Leshy (2024). The Leshy is one of many names given to the pagan Slavic deity of the forest, a deity or spirit common to most cultures around the world. Leshy will punish those who disrespect or misuse its resources – hampering, frightening, injuring, kidnapping, and even killing the offenders. Here in ghostly form, he points at us, accusing humankind for our shamefully poor treatment of forests and their inhabitants. You are warned…. Approach and his eyes will burn, and he will chill you with his voice – though we can perhaps redeem ourselves slightly if we offer him votives detailing and pledging our good behaviours. Then the Leshy might show us some mercy; even treat us benevolently when we enter his domain… if we speak softly and tread lightly...

'She too'. is comprised of a set of images from a book of photos of Roman busts I inherited from my mother (who in some important ways was also a victim of men). These images, which are virtually all of busts of men, struck me as constituting a historical record of ‘the gaze’. Here ~51 male images are positioned around a single image of a woman. All but one have had their eyes removed, yet still maintain their gaze, a patriarchal, cultural, and psychological gaze that transcends the capacity of sight - as well as (largely) the capacity for insight. In so doing, the piece generates a powerful, to some - almost claustrophobically predatory, representation of a contiguous historical reference - to thereby remind us of the stubborn persistence of the ‘She too’ 'moment' - and its need for social justice and social change.

Website: ianbride.com