Psychopomps exhibition by Polly Morgan, London
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

From a giant orb made from disembodied crows' wings to a suspended human ribcage with a flaming red bird resembling its heart, Polly Morgan's macabre sculptures take on a strange, fantastical beauty in the dim light of the Haunch of Venison's Mezzanine Gallery.
The taxidermist's latest body of work - on show until 25th September - marks a change in aesthetic and scale from the pieces that first caught the eyes of Banksy and Damien Hirst several years ago, and set her career in motion. The curious charm of the rats in champagne glasses and rabbits curled up on top hats, has been swapped with works that are bolder, more emphatically sculptural, larger and, this time, airborne. Central to the show is a burnt out cage, suspended in the air by a flock of finches.
'Psychopomps' is a Greek word that refers to a conductor of souls to the other world, like Hermes or Charon. It's perhaps a bizarre title for an artist who, in the monograph that accompanies the show, says of the creatures she uses: 'The actual body is discarded. I have nothing to do with its spirit. The animals in my freezer are my raw materials, like paint to a painter.' But, she does give these animals - all of which have died from natural or unpreventable causes - life after death, albeit in an extraordinary new guise.
'I wanted to make an organic whole that looked uncannily real,' Morgan (opens in new tab) says of the mass of pigeon wings that make up 'Blue Fever'. 'I looked at Eadweard Muybridge's time-lapse images of birds in flight and decided to make the different strata of wings in my sculpture mimic these stages, so that the objects seemed to have a pulse.'
In ’Systemic Inflammation’, flame-coloured finches carry their cage. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
’Black Fever’ by Polly Morgan, 2010. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
’Blue Fever’ by Polly Morgan, 2010. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
’Atrial Flutter’ by Polly Morgan, 2010. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
For ’Atrial Flutter’, Morgan has introduced a human body part - the ribcage - for the first time. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
Inside the ribcage is a bright red cardinal. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
’Former Things’ by Polly Morgan, 2007, from the monograph on the artist that accompanies the show. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
’Receiver’ by Polly Morgan, 2009, from the monograph on the artist that accompanies the show. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
’Carrion Call’ by Polly Morgan, 2009, from the monograph on the artist that accompanies the show. courtesy of Polly Morgan and Haunch of Venison
ADDRESS
Haunch of Venison
6 Burlington Gardens
London W1S3ET
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
Kunokaiku urns become everyday domestic objects to address the subjectivity of loss
Kunokaiku urns were created by photographer Marianna Jamadi with Mexican ceramic studio Menat, as a way to remember a loved one at home
By Sheila Lam • Published
-
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 and Book3 expand its ecosystem with speed and sophistication
Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Book3 Ultra are designed to deliver a premium computing experience
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Design, air filtration and sustainability meet in the ‘Air’ lamp
‘Air as design inspiration’: the ‘Air’ lamp by Adam D Tihany and Contardi puts ecological issues at the forefront
By Hannah Silver • Published