Roxy Russell

A sense of disconnection with the environment is at the core of Roxy Russell's work. A detachment that she feels and observes on a daily basis: the way nature is artificially manipulated, the way trees planted in straight lines, the way only small designated areas are identified where plants can grow freely. Her work reflects questions about our relationship with the living, the cohabitation between human and non-human, the nature – culture dichotomy. How to connect better to plants?

Roxy's main medium is thread for sewing, embroidery and weaving. Other projects take shape as installations of various materials, often natural elements. Her creative process is characterised by the repetition of a same action. This approach generates a better understanding of how materials react, familiarity of the repeated movement and awareness of her own body. A connection is established. The endurance and patience required imply slowness: a rhythm that contrasts with the pace of our daily lives. Different temporalities meet and merge creating a sense of continuity.

The tension produced by different contrasts is an integral part of Roxy's work: thread can be as fragile as strand of cotton and as strong as to bind two items together. Her work reflects the complexity of the situation, of the world we live in yet seems simple in conception. The topics Roxy chooses are serious yet her approach is poetic.