About this artwork

In a contemporary reworking of the traditional still life, Jane Simpson transforms everyday objects such as cooking utensils and household appliances into uncanny sculptural entities. Sunset Still Life is part of a series focused on Tupperware, which the artist collects second-hand. She is interested in the transformational qualities of materials and how seemingly inanimate objects can carry meaning. Through their function as food containers, the plastic tableware absorbs the smell and colour of their contents. They carry the memory and nostalgia of past domestic activities taking on a human dimension. Simpson explains: ‘I always think of the surface of the plastic as nicotine-stained skin‘. Simpson’s still lifes reference the work of Giorgio Morandi, whose painting Natura Morta is also part of the collection.

Published September 2022

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