Art Seen is delighted to announce the upcoming solo exhibition of work by London artist, Clare Burnett from Friday, 21st April to Thursday 24th May 2023 at Art Seen, Nicosia. The exhibition features brightly coloured groups of paintings and sculptures arranged in ‘conversation’ groups within the two-story space. The show is inspired by the artefacts removed from Cyprus by Cesnola in the 19th century and is made with objects and materials found today on the streets of Nicosia.
In the 19th century the American Consul to Cyprus, Luigi Palma de Cesnola, ‘acquired’ a vast treasure trove of Cypriot archaeological artefacts, a total of 35,000 objects most of which he sold to the newly formed Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1872 before becoming its first Director until his death in 1904.
This collection and its story are the source material for the exhibition. The show draws attention to the actions of Cesnola and to the attitude of ‘the West’ to the heritage of others whilst celebrating the artefacts themselves – their energy and emotion, their rich surfaces, the anthropomorphic forms of simple household objects and the patterns and forms that repeat through history. Through the use of discarded and mass-produced materials it also nudges us to think about 21st century dilemmas relating to the goods we acquire and use and how this might be judged in the future.
About the artist
Clare Burnett’s work is a process-led response to the issues, objects and spaces around her. She scavenges from her surroundings; plays with, reconfigures and transforms her ‘finds’ in the studio; then arranges them, often in groups, to create interactions with each other and with the space beyond. She explores notions of value, power and the 21st century dilemmas the confront us all especially in relation to objects - what we buy and where, how we get rid of what we use, whether to watch or be watched and how we use new technologies.
Clare studied Architecture and Social and Political Studies at Cambridge University and Fine Art at the Byam Shaw School of Art. Solo and group shows include Leighton House Museum; William Benington Gallery; the University of Leeds; Contemporary Sculpture Fulmer; the Royal Academy; the National Gallery; the Jerwood Space; the RIBA; and the Royal Society of Sculptors; Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum in Taiwan, Brooke Benington and Studio Block M74 in Mexico, Unit One Gallery and Workshop, London; Beckenham Place Mansion with Bo-Lee Gallery. Last year she received an Arts Council, England grant for a residency and exhibition at Electro Studios Project Space in Hastings responding to the work of Sam Smith of Project Art Works. Site-specific installations include Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation, France; Brompton and Norwood Cemeteries and Bishopsgate Square. London. Her first public sculpture was installed in China in 2019 and she is currently working on a piece for a Central London outdoor space which will be on show next summer. Clare grew up in France and Belgium and works in London. Last summer she completed a 7-year elected post as President of the Royal Society of Sculptors.
For more information, please contact: Maria Stathi, Founder & Director, Art Seen
+357 22006624 | info@art-seen.org | www.art-seen.org
