Whether spinning, rising, piercing, or contorting, every artwork in this display is in the process of transformation. From the frenetic energy of Tracey Emin’s scrawled lines, through the oozing central mass of Pat Douthwaite’s painting, to the skewed imagery in Alex Dordoy’s prints, transgressive new forms are taking shape. All these artworks share a common reference point: the human body. 

In the exhibition space, a host of bodies and bodily forms are gathered, taking up position relative to one another. Pregnant, hybrid, distorted, dissected, and even inside out bodies are all engaged in the encounter. 

Though these artists may be approaching bodily transformation via different motivations and media, there are numerous criss-crossing connections between the forms, practices, and ideas represented. Some artworks grapple with sexual and gender-related symbolism. Some take personal stories as a starting point to address universal questions. Some engage with theoretical concepts like ‘the uncanny’, or creative techniques like ‘automatism’. Others reflect on fundamental aspects of bodily experience including birth, sex, reproduction, and death. 

From cool smooth marble to textured powdered pigment, through their making and materials, all these artworks appeal to the senses. Drawing on the relationship between the optical and the tactile, they invite an awareness of sensation without the need to touch.

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