Stone (Butch)

Rosanne Robertson

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About the Artwork

Stone (Butch) is part of a body of works exploring the terrain of the Queer body in the landscape and was created by plaster casting directly in crevices in natural rock formations at Godrevy Point (St Ives Bay, Cornwall). This ‘sculptural void’ makes physical a negative space created by the power of the sea.

Stone (Butch) considers a ‘raincoat layer’ of the body exposed to external forces inspired by lesbian and trans activist Les Feinburg’s novel ‘Stone Butch Blues’ in which the oppression of lesbian, trans and butch and femme identity is laid bare. This sculpture embodies a space that is shifting and fluid, reclaiming a natural space for Queer and Butch identity from a history of being deemed ‘against nature’.

Year: 2021


Copyright the artist. Photo: © Nick Turpin

Material

Corten steel, jesmonite and paint

Dimensions

220 x 130 x 156cm

Artist Biography

Rosanne Robertson

Rosanne Robertson (they/them) (b. Sunderland 1984) is a contemporary artist based in Cornwall. Their practice spans sculpture, performance and drawing to explore the boundaries of the body and its environment. Robertson’s body of work 'Stone (Butch)' was exhibited within the work of Barbara Hepworth at The Hepworth Wakefield and at Yorkshire Sculpture Park for Yorkshire Sculpture International (2019). Their public sculpture 'We Built Ships' (2021) will create a legacy to the 700 women who worked in Sunderland’s shipyards. During 2020 Robertson was a studio holder at Porthmeor Studios (St Ives) continuing works that explore the terrain of the Queer body. ‘Between Two Bodies’, ‘Packing’ and ‘The Island’ were purchased by The Contemporary Art Society for The Hepworth Wakefield Collection.