PORCELAIN WHISPERS

Emma Hack’s inaugural solo exhibition with Catherine Asquith Gallery, “Mirrored Whispers”, recalls many aspects of her childhood; in particular, Emma’s fond memories of her grandmother’s extraordinary garden. 

Heirloom irises, sweet peas, hydrangeas and gardenias all encircled by what seemed to Emma at the time, a monumental Magnolia tree, meant for joyful, blissful times.

 

This new collection, with its subdued palette and gentle figurative reflections also highlights what Emma terms her ‘inner muse’, that feminine wisdom that we as women experience, at least once in our lives.

 

As an artist, Emma has always enjoyed working with the female form, and by visually incorporating a  ‘mirrored’ image, the works suggest an internal dialogue, a personal narrative and a gentle rendering of this  quiet  contemplation.  

 

Compositionally, Emma views this collection as an extension of her subject matter: the flora and figures are still present, albeit in softer focus.  Emma was purposeful in having the models pose side-on, feeling this profile perhaps a more ‘chastened’ rendition of the female nude.  

During the construction of these works, after photographing one model in 2 different ways, Emma then digitally manipulated the image, basically ‘flipping’ it, and allowing the  spontaneity of this action to produce what is to her, a “quite magical image”: ironically, not exactly a mirror image, but beautifully sublime.