In Emma Vidal’s new exhibition, the viewer is allowed a glimpse into an unknown world of feral children, sparkling ceramics, and deep black charcoal. Opening at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary on Friday, “Lost Boys” is named such as an homage to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Just as the boys in the novel find themselves in a strange new world not of their making, so do the children in Vidal’s invented post-apocalyptic space, where mother nature is reclaiming her territory in a fantastic way.
Originally from France and educated at the Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, Vidal has been in residency in St. Louis for over a year. Her studio and facilities at Intersect Arts Center have allowed her to add the medium of ceramics to her practice. The fruits of these labors will be on display at the show opening on Friday, which features over 20 charcoal and ceramic pieces.
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Vidal’s ceramics circumvent the general perception of the medium. Employing glazes that present more like metal, they are solid and robust in their foliage. However, the figurative elements of these small sculptures are perforated and airy, even lace-like.
Beyond ceramics, Vidal specializes in large-scale charcoal drawings. Featured in the show will be Grotto: Collone. In this immersive work, we see a figurative and surreal scene. This cavernous setting is full of treasure and texture. In the depths of the cave is glistening precious metal and shadowy, stylized figures. This fictional environment is part of a world that Vidal has developed for the past six years, full of invented mythology and imagination.
Vidal says of these drawings: “I construct large charcoal drawing compositions that question the civilization we live in, the human need for faith and its confronting relationship toward nature. If the golden sculptures reference the veneration of the divine, the drawings’ monochrome palette seeks timeless representation of the narrative and unveils theatrical and complex scenes.”
Michael Hoffman, curator of “Lost Boys,” adds: “She is continuing to develop this mythology in her practice and is now working on intricately sculpted and richly glazed ceramics. We are thrilled to be showing an artist like Emma who has such depth in both her vision and her craftsmanship.”
Emma Vidal’s exhibition “Lost Boys” will be showing at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary from November 8–30. The public is invited to the opening of the exhibition on Friday, from 6–10 p.m.
