Nubility (Heart in Her Hands)
Artist: Teresa Wilson
Year: 2021
Medium: Sculpture. Textiles, wire, gesso, watercolour, vintage nightdress, faux hair.
Dimensions: 85 x 25 x 18 cm
Materials: Textiles, wire, shorts, T shirt, faux fur gilet, gesso, watercolour, mixed media
About:
A soft sculpture figure of a girl made from textiles and wire. She has short curly auburn hair and is wearing an ivory white cotton dress and dark brown shoes.
Size: 85 cm high
25 cm wide, measured across the shoulders
18 cm depth
The sculpture doll can be arranged in a sitting position on a chair or sofa or can be hung from the ceiling with invisible fishing line.
The story behind the work:
Nubility (Heart in Her Hands) and the similar larger work Transition (Uncanny Girl) both explore the feelings of tension, fear, and courage which dominate the psychological space between girl and adulthood.
The Cinderella tradition is very ancient; it has its roots in pre-Christian religious beliefs and there have since been many versions of the story all over the world. In fairytales, as in dreams, things both are and are not what they seem to be. Innocent tales for children such as Cinderella, or one of the hundreds of variations, have hidden psychological and sexual meanings. In Freudian analysis, the tale is about the rite of passage of a girl into adulthood. As Philip Pullman has written...
"Cinderella, in every one of the hundreds of variations on the basic story, is not alone: she has a helper. A surrogate mother, in fact: the fairy godmother, a rose tree that grows from her mother's grave, a cow, the mossy coat...always, in principle, an older female who has herself safely negotiated the perils of the journey towards maturity and whose task is to help the girl make the same passage". (From 'Great Fairytales' booklet published in the Guardian).
In my version the girl is holding a heart which represents the female love and wisdom given to her by other, more experienced women. The sculpture was made in 2020 during the first corona virus lockdown and comes out of a period of reflection on the need we all have for a helper in negotiating the challenges the world throws at us. The heart also symbolizes the protection and care we can give to others.
Exhibition history:
Exhibition: Submitted to Aesthetica Magazine Lockdown Art Online competition.
