Jess Littlewood

About

BEARSPACE gallery is pleased to present Island Folly; a new body of work by British artist Jess Littlewood. Island Folly continues Littlewood's ambiguous and ongoing narrative focusing on a fictitious island commune. As with previous work the inhabitants of this commune remain unseen, their specific beliefs unclear, though evidence of their presence alludes to a culture of primitive eccentricity and desperate faith.

Central to the exhibition, The Dissolution of Mother Island maps the inevitable collapse of the founding commune and the emergence of a new epoch, defined by five new derivative sects. Each sect inhabits a new island, and looking to the future each attempt to establish a unique society whilst never achieving true togetherness.

The further five exhibited works act as chapter headings, describing each sect and their specific obsessions. All maintain a fixation with the shrine like shelters of their past, highlighting futility in their attempts for individualism. These five new islands will now act as anthropological testing grounds in which Littlewood can explore the parameters and tendencies of human behaviour.

Littlewoods otherworldly landscapes are the product of extensive collecting, collating and archiving of images. Working digitally Littlewood builds layer upon layer of found imagery, the final outcome a window into an alternative world.

Littlewoods work continues to reference alternative counter-culture of the 1960s and 70s, whilst her aesthetic brings to mind sci-fi cinema of the same period. Her interest in mysticism, cult and religion remains just under the surface, as she continues to interrogate the nature of belief.

Jess Littlewood graduated with a BA First Class Honors from Central Saint Matins College of Art and Design in 2010, and currently works from her studio in Brixton.

She has exhibited widely in group exhibitions since 2007.,Exhibitions include: Future Map 10 - Zabludowicz Collection, and the PPOW in New York. She has also been championed by Hotel Elephant and 'The Contemporary,' London.