Mr + Mrs Hands

Throughout her practice Newby co-opts existing materials, forms and spaces, and in nuanced ways alters them slightly so that they appear subtly different to the viewer.

Newby’s long-term interest in inverting the relationship between exterior and interior spaces stems from her occupancy of urban space, living in urban areas, walking and inhabiting these sights purposefully since her youth. To these inversions she brings her own observational quirks and sensitivity. Her intimate ‘actions’ are incorporated in photographic documents, as well as ‘corrections’ or animations of exterior space by using materials commonly found in urban areas. She employs colour and text which resonate on an emotional level with the viewer, but she seldom steps outside the object’s pre-existing references.

The clay works in Mr + Mrs Hands, for example, were originally shown in Bristol and respond to the environment. The texts come from a church nearby the exhibition space in Bristol, and a YouTube video featuring the Bristol accent; the clay and glass works incorporate local clays and other elements from industry, thereby referencing and responding to the location.

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