Are You Sitting Comfortably? by SALLY SPINKS

About

Tenderpixel presents a trio of new pieces by artist Sally Spinks. Are you sitting comfortably? explores the notion of comfort zones and highlights the potential danger of stagnating oblivion that lurks behind such soothing complacency. For Spinks, controls are sought in many areas of life to bring order and perceived freedom in a chaotic post-modern world. Spinks wonders what price society pays for such restrictive measures, and how much freedom must be sacrificed in the process. Still Burning a work produced by Spinks in reaction to the implementation of the smoking ban in London: hundreds of cigarette butts discarded, a sight familiar to anyone living in the city, yet upon closer inspection it becomes clear that each one was painstakingly hand knitted. This realization transforms used cigarettes, items that are normally discarded and dirty, into objects that are adorable, even collectible. The trio of work culminates in the piece Fine Line a work where gigantic human size cigarettes invade the gallery space acting as shamans, warning of what occurs when one remains permanently fixed in their comfort zone.