Figurative ceramic sculpture by Vivien Lightfoot reflecting on womens role in the history of socio-technologic changes.
A special exhibition in the ANCA Courtyard to launch the inaugural Canberra Living Artists Week.

The Black Queen(detail)

MOTHERS OF THE REVOLUTION

Artists Statement:

The Mothers of the Revolution is a ceramic exhibition of historically referenced female figures that reflect the growing complexity of the world over 20 generations. The technological advances of the last 650 years have brought us to a point where continuing revolutions of thought have become vital for survival.

By 2050 if the population growth continues at the rate it is today the world’s resources would be stretched to breaking point. Present population growth would create a completely unsustainable situation in the years ahead, so changing our outlook is critical. In creating this journey I punctuated the 20 epochs with 5 key totems at 200 year intervals in the form of large chess pieces. 

1350 is the Castle showing a time when populations lived in walled cities. 1550 is the Bishop who symbolizes a period when the church had enormous power over the spread of knowledge.  1750 is the Pawn illustrating the constricting of time during the industrial revolution. 1950 is the Knight who characterizes the post-war stability and enthusiasm when babies were born in record numbers.  Finally 2150 is the Black Queen who offers hope.  2150 seems so far away but it can be measured by less than 5 generations into the future.

How have women, who have born the burden of rearing successive generations of children, changed over that time?  By pinpointing significant images of ordinary women from the annals of art in each generation, I have investigated the role of women in the history of technologic change, and woven together a story of changing perceptions, from a time when many believed the world was flat to a time where we realize that both time and space are relative concepts.

Vivien Lightfoot 2007

Artist CV

2007 – Between the Cracks (group show), Watson Arts Centre - Abstract female figures focusing on repression due to societal expectations

2006 - Symbiosis (collaborative show), Strathnairn Homestead Gallery - Egyptian inspired sculptures and wall pieces addressing global warming issues

2006 - Freeflight (collaborative show), The Front Gallery - Japanese inspired sculptures exploring life’s inner journeys

2005 - Tilting the Brim (solo show) – at Yarralumla Gallery - Bolivian inspired female figures exploring the cultural divide between the first and the third world

2003 – Balance (solo show) - at Yarralumla Gallery - Indigenous figures from many regions of the world addressing the problems of globalisation

2000 - The Wake of the Last Rhinoceros (solo show) at Yarralumla Gallery - Figures inspired by dance and rhinoceroses inspired by Durer addressing biodiversity.

1998 - Guardians of the Body and Soul (solo show) at Yarralumla Gallery - Figures inspired by major historical sculptures from Eastern, Western and African mythologie

www.vivienlightfoot.com