
Now You See Us – Art Exhibition
A performative exhibition examining female form, idealised beauty and queering the golden ratio by Sarah Fortes Mayer and Gay Place – harp accompaniment by Michelle Dalton.
Now You See Us is a unique opportunity to experience the work of two mid-career artists in Birmingham who examine their lived experience of being female through sculpture and performance.
Taking the golden ratio as the curatorial conceptual cue, a queer version is embedded within the exhibition space. Referring simultaneously to art historical cannons and classical masculine display, this is an attempt to circumnavigate notions of idealised female beauty and concept of bodily perfection. What we see in this exhibition are works that are honest, that celebrate and make visible the lived experience of being female through opposing methods, the visceral and the abstract.
Both artists use repetition of form in their practice, these methods are reflective not only of the formal qualities of casting and making but can be considered performative in itself.
“Michelle played for us at Now You See Us. Her music was amazing and added an extra layer to the pieces of art.” Sarah Fortes Mayer
In addition to providing the ambiance music for the exhibition, Michelle also accompanied Sarah during three performance pieces.