Reconfiguring the figure in contemporary art

At Timothy Taylor, New York, a new exhibition, ‘Reconfigured’ – featuring work by Polly Brown – invites us to re-examine the body as a subject

By
last updated
in News
Polly Brown, Lightning (detail), 2021. Silver gelatin print, mirror, glass, wooden frame Polly Brown, Lightning (detail), 2021. Silver gelatin print, mirror, glass, wooden frame.
Polly Brown, Lightning (detail), 2021. Silver gelatin print, mirror, glass, wooden frame, London / New York
(Image credit: Theo Christelis)

In ‘Reconfigured’, curated by Rose Easton, the work of ten UK-based artists spanning painting, sculpture, photography, print, film, and animation, challenges our preconceptions of how the body can be depicted in contemporary art. 

Photographer Polly Brown’s work often reveals elements of a body – frequently her own – in conceptual, often humorous compositions. As she explains further, ‘the use of the figure in my pictures has mainly been one of functionality. A hand or foot is there to activate the scene; a flailing limb purposefully left in the shot points towards the kinetic. The body is often simply another prop, a tool to further the set up of the picture.’

Polly Brown, Kerosene, 2021. Silver gelatin print, soot, glass, wooden frame.

Polly Brown, Kerosene, 2021. Silver gelatin print, soot, glass, wooden frame.  

(Image credit: Theo Christelis)

Sensitive Trigger, 2021. Silver gelatin print, glass, triangular wooden frame.

Sensitive Trigger, 2021. Silver gelatin print, glass, triangular wooden frame. 

(Image credit: Theo Christelis)

Brown produced a new body of work for 'Reconfigured', loosely responding to the 19th-century French author Felix Fénéon’s Novels in Three Lines. Here, we see sculptural still lifes blur our perceptions of the figure and extract just a whisper of narrative to draw us in. The photographer speaks about the new series in the context of her wider practice: ‘The process of making this new series has evolved and formalised my works’ relationship to the body. I saw these new works more as obscured portraits.'

In ‘Reconfigured’, The body becomes not just a prop, but also a blank canvas. ‘Using sculptural elements (soot, clay, metal and wood) combined with prints and domestic props, I found I could use the figure to convey whole narratives,’ she says. ‘I liked how this reductive style mirrored the writings of Fénéon. Characters and their fates could be symbolised in small gestures or poses. The body was at once a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker.’ 

Deep dive, 2021, Silver gelatin print, glass, pewter puddle (melted jugs, plates, buttons, wine cup, candlesticks and tea pot). by Polly Brown

Deep dive, 2021, Silver gelatin print, glass, pewter puddle (melted jugs, plates, buttons, wine cup, candlesticks and tea pot). 

(Image credit: Theo Christelis.)

As Easton says of Brown's work, ‘when thinking about different ways to consider the body and its many guises, I have always enjoyed Polly’s treatment of the figure in her ongoing practice — abstracted, playful, awkward, with a gentle hint of irony.’ 

‘Reconfigured’ – which also features contemporary art by Isabella Benshimol Toro, Onyeka Igwe, Gabriella Boyd, Matt Copson, Patrick H. Jones, Olu Ogunnaike, George Rouy,  Mike Silva and Jala Wahid – offers an distinctive and unexpected exploration of the figure, as Easton concludes, ‘especially in this contemporary moment’.

Polly Brown, Gunpowder and Shot, 2021, Silver gelatin print, solid silver nails, glass, wooden frame

Polly Brown, Gunpowder and Shot, 2021, Silver gelatin print, solid silver nails, glass, wooden frame. 

(Image credit: Theo Christelis)

Isabella Benshimol Toro, Soft Shell Cochlea N.1, 2021. Used clothes, epoxy resin

Isabella Benshimol Toro, Soft Shell Cochlea N.1, 2021. Used clothes, epoxy resin. 

(Image credit: © Isabella Benshimol Toro. Courtesy Timothy Taylor)

Onyeka Igwe, The Walls Have Mouths, 2021. HD video, stereo sound

Onyeka Igwe, The Walls Have Mouths, 2021. HD video, stereo sound. 

(Image credit: © Onyeka Igwe. Courtesy Timothy Taylor)

Jala Wahid, Carved My Sole In Two, Soul Halved In Bloom, 2021 Resin

Jala Wahid, Carved My Sole In Two, Soul Halved In Bloom, 2021 Resin.

(Image credit: © Jala Wahid. Courtesy the artist and Sophie Tappeiner)

George Rouy, False Window, 2021. Acrylic on canvas.

George Rouy, False Window, 2021. Acrylic on canvas. 

(Image credit: © George Rouy. Courtesy the artist and Hannah Barry Gallery,)

Olu Ogunnaike 05:39_14 October 2018, 2021 Charcoal on steel, English yew

Olu Ogunnaike 05:39_14 October 2018, 2021 Charcoal on steel, English yew. 

(Image credit: © Olu Ogunnaike. Courtesy the artist and Timothy Taylor)

Gabriella Boyd, Socket, 2021 Oil on linen

Gabriella Boyd, Socket, 2021 Oil on linen. 

(Image credit: © Gabriella Boyd. Courtesy Timothy Taylor)

Matt Copson, I Survived, 2021, 4K video, hand-painted watercolour animation

Matt Copson, I Survived, 2021, 4K video, hand-painted watercolour animation. 

(Image credit: © Matt Copson. Courtesy the artist and High Art)

Mike Silva, Mask 2, 2021. Oil on linen.

Mike Silva, Mask 2, 2021. Oil on linen. 

(Image credit: Courtesy the artist and The Approach)

Patrick H Jones, Squabble, 2021. Acrylic paint and mixed media on canvas.

Patrick H Jones, Squabble, 2021. Acrylic paint and mixed media on canvas. © Patrick H Jones. Courtesy the artist and The Sunday Painter, London

(Image credit: © Patrick H Jones. Courtesy the artis)

INFORMATION

’Reconfigured’, until 12 June 2021, Timothy Taylor, New York. timothytaylor.com

ADDRESS

518 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

TOPICS
Holly Hay

Holly Hay is the Photography Director at Wallpaper* Magazine having previously held titles as AnOther and GARAGE magazines. Holly is a regular lecturer at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion as well as working on photography direction for a number of luxury brands.