Studio Leigh is pleased to present Facelift - an exhibition by London-based British artist Natalie Dray.
Recent work blends sculptural and painting techniques used in both mechanical and biological applications, such as auto-body repairs, customisation, surgery and cosmetics. Aesthetic decisions are chosen under the influence of standard setting organisations and makeup trends, which attempt to formalise measures relating to the appearance of enhancement, perfection, and agelessness.
The installation of each work makes use of existing hanging guides and protocols found outside the exhibition space, but invents new standards too for the sake of formality within the display. An electrical socket becomes an abstraction reduced down to its most common contours, stripped from function and limited to the cosmetic.
Combining dental plaster, silicone, various soft metal alloys and high strength protective finishes; the works bind resilience and fragility. Less invasive superficial procedures provide possibilities comparable to a regenerative facelift. The works are dependent on the practicalities of things, but focused on the potential for adaptation, and the physical impact of how colour and contour can affect response.
