I am delighted to have new artworks from my series Unexpected Happiness exhibited with Long-Sharp Gallery in Indianapolis. The exhibition I Was Here: Stories [Un]Told will be opening in August 2023.
Unexpected Happiness (Finding home inside yourself), 2023, Nicola Anthony
About the Exhibition
To be human is to tell stories. Since time immemorial, it is through spoken and written word that we have learned one another, taught one another, and made manifest our existence.
I Was Here honors mark-making: the physical, creative desire to take proverbial pen-to-paper and the visceral, human yearning to record, to memorialize, to matter.
The works in this exhibit are as universal, complex, and as fundamentally beautiful as the artists who create them. Whether transforming unspoken testimonies from verbal to visual or celebrating radical human connection, these works are a testament to the call of storytelling and the power of storytellers.
Featuring: Miriam Londoño, Lavett Ballard, Julia Ibbini, Kimiko Yoshida, Nicola Anthony, Ashley Nora, and Lakwena Maciver.
About the Artwork
The Amulets collection will be debuted during this exhibition. This series of unique metal text sculptures is based on beliefs about luck across multiple cultures. The artist considers these artworks as amulets (defined as an object that is believed to possess magical or protective powers).
Each text has been written by researching folklore, stories and symbols about luck that are still present in modern society and can give us a fascinating insight into human nature - our fears, hopes and desires. The concepts contained have come from religions, myths, proverbs and superstitions. The artist has also woven in some of the concepts from mathematics, astronomy and science that guide our contemporary worldview.
Moon Goddess (Amulets Collection), 2023, (c) Nicola Anthony
Meanwhile, several tabletop sculptures in glass domes will also be featured. Each piece from the Unexpected Happiness series (below) captures something remarkable about the human spirit. The sculptures each feature a few moving sentences from the artist’s research, reverse-cast in stainless steel and captured inside a glass bell dome.
Unexpected Happiness (Finding home inside yourself), 2023, Nicola Anthony