Bittersweet- An Exploration of Innocence

About

St.Art is proud to present Bittersweet; an exhibition of work by female artists Bobbie Russon and Lisa Snook, respectively Royal College of Art and Goldsmith graduates, concerning the path of childhood, growing up, memories and loss through which both women explore different portrayals of vulnerability. These highly emotive and powerful works are only on display for a limited period and their impact will, no doubt, be widely felt.

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines innocence as 'freedom from guilt or sin through being unacquainted with evil'. Russon and Snook's recent work challenges us to accept, refute or debate this statement. Our growing awareness of the loss of our children's innocence, with often tragic consequences, demands that we challenge our preconceptions of nostalgia.

Russon's articulate and darkly emotive paintings provoke a strong emotional response from the viewer. She aims to capture the sometimes uncomfortable transition from childhood to early adolescence where awkward personal awareness and developing sexuality, and its power, contradict childish needs. Following her sell-out show earlier this year, these new works continue to explore loss of innocence and the inherent ambiguities of growing up.

Snook's work brings the evocative nature of fairytales into contemporary life, encouraging the viewer to question the stereotypical feminine imagery that plays host to memory and myth and the quest for love and all its trappings, in an often hostile playground of menace and fear. Continuing from her installation, Shed and a Half, in Shoreditch in 2009, Snook's installation pieces and sculptures are beautifully rendered; they beguile the appearance of innocence and its origins in the bitter-sweet memories of a childhood.

St.Art founder and curator, Ingrid Hinton, says 'Both these female artists have much to show us at a time when public interest in contemporary art is stronger than ever. Russon and Snook each have a unique voice that is articulate and sophisticated albeit in very different genres. Despite the often monochromatic palette of these works, their subject matter is heavily coloured and far from the visual simplicity of black and white'.