Artist Statement

Working in the expanded field of painting, Anne Blair-Hickman creates sculptural works using mass-produced everyday materials. These works are then used to explore and investigate new possibilities. This can be seen in her ethereal installation which includes a full emersion into colour. Dyed and stained sponges have been photographed and printed onto semi-transparent banners which are suspended from the ceiling. People are invited to activate the work by walking through the field of shifting and vibrating colours.

Another project includes floor and wall works which includes over 60 sculptural items made from acoustic foam. These works have biomorphic qualities and connect the viewer to nature. This work extends beyond the white cube as she takes her sculptural works to various locations where they become wilful actors taking part in the living world. She is interested in coupling materiality with her interest in nature art photography, activating spaces in creative and interesting ways.

By using non-traditional materials, Anne Blair-Hickman has the freedom to explore a world of possibilities of matter and spirit. Her process includes entering into a dialogue with materials as she explores their physical properties and structural capabilities. Themes which feature among her body of work are agency, transformation, and transcendence.

Artists who have influenced Anne Blair-Hickman include Tara Donovan and Eva Hesse, particularly in the way in which they both explore repetition and seriality as a compositional strategy, as well as using handmade forms in their work.