Emery’s dreamlike, sometimes abstracted figures demonstrate that a muse’s vulnerability and power are more than skin deep. From Jane Goodall to the artist’s local Anatolian vegetable seller, the ten women in the IKONA | Mirrored Interior series have inspired Emery in different ways throughout her life. Emery’s work conveys a powerful message about female solidarity and empowerment, placing women at the forefront of her work and artistic process.
The artist created her ten original multimedia artworks using photography, digital drawing and photo compositing of her own body, followed by instinctively painting and embroidering directly onto the printed canvases.
The exhibition will include portraits of:
- Laurie Anderson, creative polymath
- Angelique Kidjo, activist and singer
- Sadiye, Anatolian vegetable seller
- Germaine Greer, author and feminist
- Alanis Obomsawin, spokeswoman for Native American and women’s rights
- Krystyne Griffin, fashion designer and godmother
- Caitlin Moran, columnist and comedian
- Jane Goodall, conservationist and animal rights activist
- Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist for women’s rights
- Lucy, artist Samantha Louise Emery
Emery is currently working on her next series IKONA | Wise Women which will showcase cultural activists, journalists and filmmakers amongst others, who through their work are inspiring women to rise to their highest potential.
London born Emery completed her Ceramic and Design degree at Central Saint Martins in 1993. In 1992 she won the award at the Young People’s Film & Video Festival for her short film Night Shift inspired by the work of Sylvia Plath. Emery then moved to Canada and debuted several series of paintings which she exhibited in Toronto and New York. The multimedia artist splits her time between the UK and her studio in Bodrum, Turkey, her spiritual home.
10% of revenues from IKONA | Mirrored Interior are donated to Working Chance, the UK’s only recruitment consultancy for women leaving the criminal justice and care systems. www.samanthalouiseemery.art