Photographic Images and sculpture

‘Elements of sculpture’ de Brí’s 2010 Solo Show was the first time she used photography in her work. The images are inspired by the Dutch Masters’ paintings, where fruit was arranged on rich timber tables always lit from the left and full of pictorial symbolism. The show comprised of a series of paired sculptured figures and meticulously staged miniature installations, which were captured on camera and presented side by side with the sculptures. Orla recreates a depth of colour and meanings while playing with shapes and textures, similar to the Dutch Masters but with a contemporary twist. Figures are combined with fruit, sometimes carved into seats like ‘Chaise longue’. Mandarins are towered high, in the piece ‘Mandarin’s and Thinking man’. Hidden meanings abound; when lemons were discovered first, people used them as an antidote for poison, in ‘Thinking lemon heads’, de Brí’s figures have lemons for heads, suggesting a lemon as an antidote to poisonous thoughts. Human evolution and development have always been central to de Brí’s work. In this show she explores the self and our surroundings with the theme of perspective. Orla observes our perspective on life and on nature while also playing with shapes and textures.

‘Truth only emerges when many perspectives are explored’ (Frederick Nietzsche)