- Venue
- South Hill Park Arts Centre
- Location
- South East England
As I walk into the Mirror Gallery at South Hill Park, I am struck by the imposing sight of these alien-like ceramic creatures called an Army of Women. They stand on different levels, conversing with each other, commanding over the room, multiplied by the mirror. Their bodies are the main focus: they are different shapes and sizes. Their heads are tapering off making the heads so small it is almost impossible to see their expressions. Large bronze ladies called ‘Modesty’ and ‘Immodesty’ accompany the Army. These ladies sit in the room before the Army, almost like an introduction to what one will experience in the next room when confronted by the Army.
As you spend time with the work, I start to see the individual personalities come out of these women. Every woman in the Army, from the curvaceous, warm ‘lovely’ and the whispered conversation of ‘secrets’ to the pain and betrayal coming from ‘bleeding heart’, calls out to me on an emotional level. They articulate how they are feeling to the viewer. The small size of the heads and faces make this more evident. The body is what the individuals see of themselves, the face is what the world sees. When viewing the Army, the viewer strains to look at the expressions of the women in an attempt to find their souls.
The viewer can see the gossip and conversation between the women; how some lean into each other and others gaze out to the audience, with their array of large and small bottoms and breasts, bulging stomachs and sometimes-large noses. Everyone who spends time with the ladies will eventually connect to at least one of them on an emotional level.
