Zoe Hoare

"I am interested in the dual processes of deconstruction and reconstruction, specifically in how surfaces such as paper can be taken apart and reassembled through their cutting and rearrangement.

In Light Bridge for example, I aim to establish an uncanny harmony between the destructive technique of cutting and the often-delicate outcomes which emerge. I have noticed that an interesting transformation takes place when something 3-dimentional is wrapped or covered in a semi-translucent material, instantly making it appear flat and image-like. There is a sense of illusion here, as the image is not what it first appears to be. As the veiled object makes contact with its frosted Perspex skin, light is allowed to pass between the two and the folds and incisions are illuminated as if from within. A visual language plays itself out from underneath creating what is perhaps best described as a ‘surface tension’.

The work’s complex processes of making emerges out of concerns that are not simply formal. It also addresses autobiographical themes relating to identity and self-image. I aim to bring attention to how we so-often project an image of ourselves that might not match up to what lies beneath; it is the discrepancy between the two that fascinates me. The work operates between states of illusion and fact, and is in some ways an attempt to encourage the viewer to question how surface appearances and underlying structures are always intertwined and inseparable. I want to slow down the dual processes of looking and thinking and through the mingling of illusion and materiality bring out an actuality of the thing itself.

This conceptual and creative process is the running theme throughout the work on show here. In all the pieces, a cutting action creates voids and portals to spaces beyond, and I aim to draw attention to what exists above and below the surface and to allow the viewer to perceive the otherwise invisible."