Incremental Shift

BA Fine Art Degree Show, Cadman Studios, University of Staffordshire, Stoke-On-Trent.
02.06.23 - 10.06.23

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An exhibition by final year students at Staffordshire University studying BA (Hons) Fine Art displaying the culmination of the last 3 years of study - Cadman Studios, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent on the 3rd - 10th of June 2023.

Laura Mae explores ideas of identity within material culture, focusing on exploring the acquiring of objects as an act of self-soothing or escapism. Self soothing refers to the utilisation of coping strategies to relieve stress e.g., nail biting or rocking back and forth. These actions often involve a certain level of repetition as things that are known to us are comforting. The notion of repetition is referenced within Laura’s works, alluding to this wider context. Furthermore, she is interested in how personal possessions can contribute to our identity and how we self-identify can manifest within them, often reinforcing our identity. Laura combines still-life and portraiture with a distorted painting style which invokes feelings of nostalgia and unease. She works most often with oil paints – taking advantage of the human quality they bring to a canvas. Her works combine magic realism and melancholy utilising bright colours and presenting a ‘fairytale-esque’ atmosphere. These works invite the audience to examine their own relationships with their possessions.