Janet Currier

‘Chimera 1‘, 2020 is part of an ongoing series of Furniture sculpture by London-based artist Janet Currier. Currier adds soft-furnishing to an appropriated chair, transforming it. The work is a bridge between her two-dimensional work and three-dimensional work. Above all, it integrally connects the elements across her practice.

For Currier, the work addresses the concept of containment and loss of containment. The artist stuffs the soft-sculpture element within the chair to capacity. It looks as though it might burst out. Similarly, the body of the chair looks like flesh. The artist states: ‘The seat is like dough that has risen and it is like it is being pulled back by the cording. There is a concept of always keeping these physical things contained in some way.’  There is therefore an inherent tension within the work. This tension mirrors that within life.

The artwork references the work of a number of contemporary artists who also utilise Furniture sculpture within their practice. Sarah Lucas incorporates soft sculpture and found furniture in her work.  The soft-sculpture more overtly portrays the female body. Janet Currier implies the elements of the body.  Similarly, Currier also makes small-scale sculptural works, such as ‘Little Pink Sculpture’.