Anne Desmet: Kaleidoscope
[ Exhibition )
Discover a mesmerising collection of new work by wood engraver and artist, Anne Desmet R.A.
What does looking at the world through the lens of a kaleidoscope reveal? Fractured, abstract images, unexpected patterns and beautiful symmetry. Looking at her existing work in this way inspired artist and wood engraver Anne Desmet R.A. to think afresh about ideas of time and change.
Anne Desmet uses print to depict the evolution of urban landscapes, from ancient cities like Rome, to London and New York. The aspirations of humanity run through her work. She explores themes of transformation, with her dramatic use of light and shade showing the effects of time on architecture.
To create this new series, many first seen at Pallant House Gallery, Desmet used her wood-engravings and linocuts to make kaleidoscopic collages. Her approach was intuitive, seeing where one image may lead to the next. New collages evolved almost spontaneously. They evoke hot-air balloons, Towers of Babel, imaginary worlds and modules for sustainable living. The works allow the viewer to look at architecture from an entirely new angle.
Printmaker Anne Desmet RA was only the third artist to be elected to the Royal Academy for this medium. Desmet studied at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford and London’s Central School of Art and Design. She was awarded a scholarship at the British School in Rome in 1989 and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. Desmet has had over 40 solo shows. This includes five major museum exhibitions in the UK and overseas. Her works are widely represented in national and international public and private collections.
