Holes is Anna Perach's first major exhibition in the UK.
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An exhibition at Oval’s Gasworks studio is showing a new collection of pieces by Ukrainian-born Israeli artist Anna Perach.
City News spoke to Anna about her process and influences.
Anna Perach was born in the Soviet Union and lived under a falling communist government until the age of seven when her family immigrated to the Middle East.
Anna has lived in the UK for the last ten years, moving to London to become part of the artistic community. She said the city “is an exceptional place in terms of the visual art, but also all the other arts … you see the absolute best of everything here.
“I love how dynamic it is as well, you know it’s very tiring at times, we’re all kind of sometimes barely making it … but I think it’s once you get into that [pace of life] it’s really hard to be anywhere else.”
While Anna’s heritage has “exposed” her to a complex set of conflicts, she says her “heart breaks” for the victims. Anna says it was the variety of cultures she grew up with that have inspired her.
The exhibition, entitled Holes, examines the fear of the female body and attempts to control or purify it, focusing on the monstrous aspects of femininity and choosing to “celebrate” them.
Anna explains that “the female body was perceived through the ages as this thing that has entrances and exits and menstrual blood and the whole body is kind of lacking clear boundaries.”
But through her creation of sculptural hybrids, she plays with the limitations of the body and perception of womanhood.
Inspired by the home as an extension of the self, the sculptures and setting are tufted.
“I grew up with a lot of carpets around me, it’s very much part of the aesthetic … of the Soviet Union or people who come from there so … I felt this kind of organic connection to it”, she said.
Holes is not just an exhibition, but also the staging of a limited series of performances entitled Ecstasies. The soundtrack was composed by Laima Leyton – wife of Igor Cavalera from the Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura – who Anna approached while they were both in residence at Gasworks.
The performances are where the art comes to life, as Anna’s vision for the movement and structure combines.
This immersive aspect of the exhibition simulates one of the themes which runs through the collection: hysteria. And with a runtime of roughly an hour, encourages the audience to release their grip on a world of binaries and patriarchy.
The exhibition is free to the public and open from 1 February until 28 April with specified, bookable dates for a limited run of performances.
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HeadlineArtist Anna Perach opens ‘monstrous’ show in Oval
Short HeadlineBernard Hogan-Howe
StandfirstFeaturing tufted sculptural installations and performance art, Holes is Anna Perach's first major exhibition in the UK.
An exhibition at Oval’s Gasworks studio is showing a new collection of pieces by Ukrainian-born Israeli artist Anna Perach.
City News spoke to Anna about her process and influences.
Anna Perach was born in the Soviet Union and lived under a falling communist government until the age of seven when her family immigrated to the Middle East.
Anna has lived in the UK for the last ten years, moving to London to become part of the artistic community. She said the city “is an exceptional place in terms of the visual art, but also all the other arts … you see the absolute best of everything here.
“I love how dynamic it is as well, you know it’s very tiring at times, we’re all kind of sometimes barely making it … but I think it’s once you get into that [pace of life] it’s really hard to be anywhere else.”
While Anna’s heritage has “exposed” her to a complex set of conflicts, she says her “heart breaks” for the victims. Anna says it was the variety of cultures she grew up with that have inspired her.
The exhibition, entitled Holes, examines the fear of the female body and attempts to control or purify it, focusing on the monstrous aspects of femininity and choosing to “celebrate” them.
Anna explains that “the female body was perceived through the ages as this thing that has entrances and exits and menstrual blood and the whole body is kind of lacking clear boundaries.”
But through her creation of sculptural hybrids, she plays with the limitations of the body and perception of womanhood.
Inspired by the home as an extension of the self, the sculptures and setting are tufted.
“I grew up with a lot of carpets around me, it’s very much part of the aesthetic … of the Soviet Union or people who come from there so … I felt this kind of organic connection to it”, she said.
Holes is not just an exhibition, but also the staging of a limited series of performances entitled Ecstasies. The soundtrack was composed by Laima Leyton – wife of Igor Cavalera from the Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura – who Anna approached while they were both in residence at Gasworks.
The performances are where the art comes to life, as Anna’s vision for the movement and structure combines.
This immersive aspect of the exhibition simulates one of the themes which runs through the collection: hysteria. And with a runtime of roughly an hour, encourages the audience to release their grip on a world of binaries and patriarchy.
The exhibition is free to the public and open from 1 February until 28 April with specified, bookable dates for a limited run of performances.
