For Marianna Simnett, sticking to 1 medium or theme defies her interpretation of what artwork could be. She fights the pure proclivity of her viewers to typecast her follow as one factor. “Trying to shed those expectations every time—trying to do something different—it’s exhausting but so worth it,” she says in an interview for Artwork Basel. “Now the signature is that people don’t know what to expect, and that’s the best outcome possible.”
Amongst myriad strains of her follow—which embrace filmmaking, sculpture, set up, portray, and efficiency—a group of bronze crowns created between 2022 and 2024 command our consideration. Located on high of bespoke velvet cushions, Simnett’s Crowns are forged in an alloy that may make the frilly headpieces burdensome and even painful to put on, but the meticulously fashioned arches, band, and spikes manifest as delicate mammals and birds.
“Simnett uses vivid and visceral means to explore the body as a site of transformation,” says an announcement from SOCIÉTÉ, which represents the artist. “In psychologically charged works that challenge both herself and the viewer, Simnett imagines radical new worlds filled with untamed thoughts, strange tales, and desires.”
Named for highly effective feminine figures from historical lore like Discordia, the Greek goddess of strife, or Lilith, a she-demon in Jewish and Mesopotamian mythology, Simnett’s Crowns study the facility, ferocity, and sublimity of allegorical feminine figures. One can think about that solely supernatural beings may put on these items and really feel comfy.
Simnett’s sculptures have been first proven in her exhibition OGRESS in 2022. “In fairy tales and folklore, the ogress is a voracious monster who deceives men and torments children in her quest to ravish them whole,” says an exhibition assertion. Simnett wielded “the ogress’ insatiable hunger as a radical force,” illuminating the position of girls in fable and legend, particularly the symbolic pressure between embracing and fearing those that are completely different.
Simnett’s solo exhibition Charades opens at SOCIÉTÉ on Might 1, coinciding with Berlin Gallery Weekend. Discover a variety of the artist’s multimedia work on her web site and Instagram.
