19 May - 30 July 2022
ANTHROPOMORPHUS
ft. SOULEYMANE KONATE
SELBY HURST
TONI LOSEY
In Collaboration with Enfant Terrible Exhibition
Anthropomorphous, from Late Latin Anthropomorphus: “Ascribing human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to things not human, such as inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.”
Anthropomorphus invites viewers to step inside a mythical world populated by fantastic fauna, flora, and other living organisms - all of which possess distinct human qualities, rendering them uncannily friendly, familiar, and approachable. This multidisciplinary exhibition places in conversation the work of Ivorian painter Souleymane Konaté, British textile artist Selby Hurst, and Canadian ceramist Toni Losey.
Exhibited for the first time in London, Konaté’s paintings present themselves as rich visual escapes, populated by part-human, part-animal hybrid creatures brought to life through humorous, cartoonish characteristics. While the artist’s practice draws inspiration from Bambara mythology and African wildlife, his bewildering subjects represent the reconciliation of man and nature in a world where both live symbiotically and in harmony.
Known for her instantly-recognizable naïve-styled rugs and tapestries, Hurst’s anthropomorphised feline sculpture seems to have broken the fourth wall and leapt out of one of Konaté’s paintings, thus enriching the viewer’s immersive experience. Hurst’s practice focuses on the domestic space, the objects and pieces of furniture that exist within it, and imbue said objects with the importance and vibrancy of living entities. Far from being intimidating, Hurst’s flamboyantly-colored sculpture almost asks to be caressed and cared for.
Bursting with movement, energy and colour, Toni Losey’s ceramics seem uncannily alive. Inspired by natural phenomena, patterns of growth and life cycles, the artist enjoys spending her free time in nature, photographing fungi, slime, mold and lichen - a wealth of resources to draw inspiration from when working in her studio. In recent months, the artist has particularly connected with the emotionality of these biomorphic forms and has started naming them as if a pet or a friend, based on the names and their associative connotations. The seven sculptures exhibited all draw direct references from fungi, an apt inspiration in this time of history, which forms and develops out of loss and decay just as we are hoping to grow out of these times of change and uncertainty.
SELECTED WORKS
Souleymane Konaté, Binkadi-So (the house of harmony), 2022, acrylic on canvas, 160 x 300cm
Souleymane Konaté, Miriya- Kélé (Common vision), 2022, acrylic on canvas, 147 x 160 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Djamanadew (The population), 2022, acrylic on canvas, 160 x 205cm
Souleymane Konaté, Dounia (The world), 2022, acrylic on canvas, 142 x 204 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Energie 2, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 153 x 180 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Etonnement (Astonishment), 2020, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 150 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Soungourouni (Young girl), 2022, acrylic on canvas, 168 x 153 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Musso Koroni, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 120 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Humilité (Humility), 2021, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Mousso filaa-tigui (the polygamist), 2021, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Pemba, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 120 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Liberté (Freedom), 2021, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Royaume de Musso Koroni, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 190 x 180 cm
Souleymane Konaté, Solo, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Toni Losey, Fernando and Javier, earthenware, H30.5 x W21.5 x D20.5 and H20.5 x W21.5 x D14.5 cm
Toni Losey, Benedict, earthenware, porcelain and nichrome, H34.5 x W25.5 x D20 cm
Toni Losey, Maxwell, earthen ware, H26.5 x W30.5 x D21.5 cm
Toni Losey, Brigette, earthenware, porcelain and nichrome, H25.5 x W24x D20.5 cm
Toni Losey, Victoria, earthenware, porcelain and nichrome, H34.5 x W34.5 x D21.5 cm
Toni Losey, Louie, earthenware, porcelain and nichrome, H32 x W27 x D21.5 cm
Toni Losey, Vivian, earthenware, porcelain and nichrome, H21.5 x W23 x D15cm
Selby Hurst Inglefield, Green ear delaunay, wool, pipe cleaners, fur and hessian on wooden bench, L90 x H60 x W50cm
Any of the works speak to you?
Contact us for more information about the pieces and the artist.