First Solo Show for ‘Queer Flower’ artist Kavel Rafferty

About

The show’s artworks examine artistic tropes of flowers and floral still life, exploring ideas of remembrance, censorship and queerness - both in the modern LGBTQ+ community sense, as well as the original meaning of queerness as something out-of-the-ordinary or peculiar. 
‘I subvert photographic copies of flowers, taken from found flower arranging books and second-hand postcards, by redacting them with ink and collage’ Kavel Rafferty explained. ‘Sometimes I block out the details and delicacy of the flowers completely, using ink brush marks to create shadows and silhouettes - denoting a singular absence of light to create a permanent record of the space the flowers once occupied. Vivid pops of colour counterbalance this, making the flowers seem alien and strange.’
A Queer Perspective
Kavel Rafferty also commented on the inclusion of images of women in her work, often used, as in this series, alongside the images of flowers. ‘As a queer woman, I am very conscious of how I portray women in my work. I am interested in the female gaze and in messing with context. By combining images of women and flowers, I play with the objectification and over-sexualized images of women and aim to challenge stereotypes by cutting and painting source materials.’
Being Framed
The framing for the individual pieces within the show is an integral part of Kavel’s work. On some pieces more colour has been added via window mounts and carefully-selected, bespoke powder-coated metal frames. These elevate these small works to something less domestic and give them an added solidity. 
‘Ideally’, Kavel commented, ‘they would be displayed on a wall in the hue of my choosing, but I don’t think I can be that prescriptive - unless people would like to invite me round?!’