“My work often combines a layering of ideas, each idea influencing the outcome of a piece. For me, art is about questions rather than answers.” – Cathy Lewis
Cathy Lewis’ unique sculptures are mostly concerned with ideas of culture, identity and social history. Working with the materials of bronze, marble and porcelain, Cathy beautifully carves figurative pieces, keeping the tradition of sculpting with clay at the core of her practice. She has become known for her flawless representation of form.
Cathy’s work has evolved to examine the themes and narratives of cultural identity and the importance of a cultural heritage, particularly how this may be learnt and shared. From late 2009 Cathy began her widely recognised life-sized figures of children and also went on to create a series of head sculptures. All of these feature strong urban or tribal themes, with tea playing an essential role in her Re Set Tea Set series. Through this collection Cathy highlights how such a seemingly common and unassuming product as tea can play a vital role in cultural connections with the past as well as social connections today.
Encouraging her audience to examine links between the past and the future, her works call into question how the future is consistently propped up by the past, some are striking to this effect. The issue of identity is entirely subjective, relating to your culture, your experiences and upbringing. These ideas in Cathy’s work are very much related to the modern world, as it opens up the question to the viewer’s own individual experience as well, allowing you to think about what makes up your own identity and cultural heritage.
Born in 1968 in Bristol, Cathy trained at Glasgow & Falmouth School of Art (BA) Hons from 1987-1990. Today Cathy works out of her Spike Island art studio and has been based there since 1998, currently residing in Bristol after returning to her hometown from Cornwall in 1994.
For information on Cathy Lewis or about commissioning an original work, please contact us at [email protected]
