7-1 August, Heathen Threshold (card front/back) presented by Sartorial Contemporary Art, London SW11 4PD

New Links

www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
www.re-title.com
www.asha-foundation.org

About the work

The powerful and dynamic prints and drawings of Ruth Uglow captures her explosive imagination for the mechanics of nature. A key source of inspiration for Uglow’ earlier work comes from her agricultural upbringing on a dairy farm in Cornwall, inventing part animal, part mechanical creations. Following the completion of her Masters at the Royal College of Art, London in 2000 Uglow was awarded the Royal Over-seas Travel Scholarship in 2002 and spent 9 weeks exploring Southern Africa. The Namibian Dessert proved a key source of inspiration for recent drawings.

On return from Southern Africa I have spent significant time drawing. The constantly changing landscapes of the Namibian Desert and the dusty chambers and tunnels of the diamond mines in Kimberley. From looking at the tiny fragments of sand that sculpt the terrain, I began drawing sand formations using the delicacy of pen and ink dots to sculpt the particles in to characters. Broken sticks and bones form the foundations to which the sand adheres too and grows from small beginnings to explosive ends. Biomechanical bulbous joints give a feeling of human presence in an inhospitable land.

Combining her experiences in Africa with her visits to Kew Botanical Gardens Uglow’s most recent series of prints incorporates the power and intrigue of the enormous Titan Arum and carnivorous plants. Central to ‘Titan Arum’ is the huge fleshy phallic stamen encased in a velvety red concertinaing collar, encased by a large wire fence for protection. Surrounded by a swarm of carnivorous plants with razor sharp lips, one is unsure who is under attack. ‘Freefall’ captures the dynamics of ‘Titan Arum’ from above, the elaborate pods cascading to the ground. The subtle gradation in aquatint, panoramic vistas and directional lighting gives a film-like quality to the work
‘Protuberance’ was the title of Uglow’s recent solo exhibition at the Malaspina Gallery, Vancouver and is a key piece of work for her most recent series of etchings. In an enclosed cavernous space large metal columns pierce through the dark mysterious undergrowth with a towering presence. One is not sure what mechanical phenomenon lies beneath. The explosive energy of the moment in ‘Unleash’ captures the pods breaking free to new life or destruction. 
 ‘The power of Uglow’s printmaking derives from the deft way she conjures up an alien world devoid of any morale framework, allowing a creeping sense of unease to slowly envelop the viewer.’- Pryle Behrman, printmaking Today, Vo 11 No4 Winter 2002, p8

Uglow recently completed two Artist Residencies at the Malaspina Printmaking Society, Vancouver, Canada and The Plains Art Museum, Fargo, North Dakota, US. This year Uglow was awarded the Birgid Skiold Memorial Award to assist her visit to Canada, and has had work purchased by the Ashmolean Musuem, Oxford.