Structure & Material Becky Beasley
These objects and photographs, as mute and minimal as they often appear, unexpectedly open onto literary worlds. Originating not only from fictional sources, but also in the objects and experiences of the everyday, the works are often imaginary abstractions, which nevertheless retain their original human dimensions. The earlier photographs presented here are concerned with the body, typically dens and hiding places, structures which have been simply constructed out of found materials. Whether rigid or flexible, these shroud-like wrappings each propose, with a clear economy of means, the provisional transformation of two-dimensional materials and surfaces into volumes. My beloved parents have provided me with the dimensions for a number of works presented here. The brass-hinged series of walnut woodworks, the curtain photographs and the shelves are all built around their body measurements. Brocken performs a minimal choreography for my father’s arms, the brass-hinges positioned to represent his own joints. The sequence begins with a full arm span, a gesture also known colloquially as measuring one’s own grave. This series anticipates – and is perhaps a kind of preparation for – the eventual absence of the ageing father, as the pieces are gradually removed. Inspired in part by an Austrian novel in which ideas of architecture, landscape, death and the body are united, the work seemed fitting for the vast walls and panoramic views at Longside Gallery. Becky Beasley, 2011
Biography Becky Beasley was born in Portsmouth, England in 1975. She graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 2002 with a Masters degree in Fine Art (Photography). Since then she has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. Solo exhibitions include: Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam (2003), Millefiori Art Space, Athens (2004), UBU Gallery, Glasgow (2006), Office Baroque, Antwerp (2009), Laura Bartlett Gallery, London (2009) and Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London (2010). Beasley has also recently shown work in British Art Show 7 (2010-11). Becky Beasley is represented by Laura Bartlett Gallery, London and Office Baroque Gallery, Antwerp. Beasley currently lives and works in St Leonards-on-Sea.
Becky Beasley Gloss II 2007