Remember what binds you
1st - 11th October 2020 at Gallery 40 

A collaborative exhibition of work from artist duo Kirsty Thomas and Rachel Maloney. 
Showcased as part of the Brighton Photo Fringe Festival 2020.

This exhibition addressed the experience of femininity in the domestic space. The ‘Dutch Masters’ referenced in the works by Thomas, were famed for their flower paintings and domestic Still Life’s. When the genre became a predominantly female practice, it was dismissed as hobby rather than mastery. Similarly, the domestic photograph albums made by women, referenced in Maloney's work, have been overlooked or undervalued in the history of photography. 
 
Both artists favour traditional processes, and use analogue equipment to create their work. Thomas uses a 10x8 plate camera to capture her exquisite yet unsettling still life scenes, all of which have been arranged and photographed by the artist in her own home. Maloney’s 16mm film footage is all shot on her beloved Bolex camera, often featuring her own family photograph albums and domestic settings. 

The slow and considered techniques used by each of these artists, and the domestic subject matter their work addresses, honour and echo the traditional ‘crafts’ often associated with women, yet the medium of film and photography is often considered to be masculine. This conflict is felt throughout this collaborative work; a battle ensues between the bound and the fixed, between the masculine and the feminine, as they confront and attempt to eclipse each other.