Rachel Kneebone - Lamentations Triptych 2010 - Porcelain

I: 12 13/16 x 16 9/16 x 9 1/2 in. (32.5 x 42 x 24.2 cm)
II: 13 3/8 x 16 5/16 x 8 7/8 in. (34 x 41.5 x 22.6 cm)
III: 12 3/16 x 16 1/4 x 8 1/16 in. (31 x 41.2 x 20.5 cm)
Photo: Stephen White. Courtesy White Cube.

Ground floor “ lamentations 2010” shows 3 worked porcelain pictures where grief is showcased and somehow fixed in time and space. Like a stamp the wounds seem impossible to heal. The rigidity of this familiar canvas is the interface between abstraction and figuration. First Floor "Shields 2010", six pieces mounted on the wall revealing vibes and sinews alongside 10 drawings, body parts that need to be interpreted by the artist herself before she lets our eyes dive in the white ocean.
When looking at Rachel’s work for the first time, one cannot help but wonder: how strong has been the grief? No surprise that she finds inspiration in surreal and expressive figures by Rodin, Michelangelo or Hans Bellmer.

Rachel Kneebone - Lamentations Triptych 2010 - Porcelain

I: 12 13/16 x 16 9/16 x 9 1/2 in. (32.5 x 42 x 24.2 cm)
II: 13 3/8 x 16 5/16 x 8 7/8 in. (34 x 41.5 x 22.6 cm)
III: 12 3/16 x 16 1/4 x 8 1/16 in. (31 x 41.2 x 20.5 cm)
Photo: Stephen White. Courtesy White Cube.

A flood of tears in porcelain, a white & pure material to express the vulgarity of a human body. If the hardware is broken, the software is telling a story of true feelings. Crying a river in a porcelain tomb, Rachel Kneebone masteries the art of transforming figurine subjects to imposing sculptures; her erotic and transgressive vision might not be easy to understand but you do not need to agree, just to see… and think further.

"Lamentations 2010" by Rachel Kneebone 

 White Cube Hoxton Square, London.

19 November 2010- 22 January 2011

Text by Delphine Hervieu.

Sources: whitecube.com