About the Artwork

Movement and the body lie at the centre of the Muamba Grove series and the sculptures are strongly linked with choreography and transformation. The series continues da Silva’s investigations of scale, colour and interactions between the human body, sculpture and nature. The artist identifies each of the sculptures as ‘unrooted bodies’, genderless, neither human nor part of nature but as hybrids that are in a constant state of flux, metamorphosing into something still unknown. Da Silva’s process often involves carving sculptures concurrently and reacting intuitively to the forms as she works into the surfaces of the materials. This process offers an indication of the inseparable link between the body and the sculpture – the artist’s own body becomes entwined within the making of the forms. Da Silva’s use of colour and carefully considered scale contributes to the sense of dynamic and fluid movement.


Courtesy of the artist and Duarte Sequeira Gallery. Photo: © Nick Turpin

Material

Steel, fibreglass, resin, UV paint

Dimensions

177 x 255 x 85 cm, 188 x 320 x 126 cm

Artist Biography

Vanessa da Silva

Vanessa da Silva (b. 1976) was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, she lives and works in London. She holds an MA Painting from the Royal College of Art, London, and a BFA in Product Design from FAAP, São Paulo. In 2020 she was the recipient of both The Hopper Prize Award and the Gilbert Bayes Award, given by the Royal Society of Sculptors. She has participated in residencies including FAAP, São Paulo (2020); Pivô Research, São Paulo (2019); and Ox-Bow, USA (2017). Da Silva has exhibited in the UK and internationally with her most recent projects including The Box at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London (2023), Duarte Sequeira Gallery, Seoul (2023), Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK (2023), MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, UK (2023), La Casa Encendida, Madrid, ES (2022), 019 Ghent, Ghent, BE (2022), Frieze Sculpture, London, UK (2021).