Michelle Forsyth: Our relationship is beautiful due to the distance

  • Michelle Forsyth, Our relationship is beautiful due to the distance

    Michelle Forsyth

    Our relationship is beautiful due to the distance
  • Our relationship is beautiful due to the distance features three distinct bodies of work developed by Michelle Forsyth between 2014...

    Green and Purple Stack with Pink, 2014/2020 

    Our relationship is beautiful due to the distance  features three distinct bodies of work developed by Michelle Forsyth between 2014 and 2020:   Footnotes,   Knit Wear, and  Improvisations. 

    Forsyth creates sculptures that she translates to photographs, intervening in the process by painting on the photograph. Her sculptures are frequently made from textiles which have a particular meaning. The designs of the textiles are then replicated in the plinths and painted backdrops, creating a collage of multiple repeated patterns that evoke joy and hope. 

     

    The work of Michelle Foryth is closely attached to her own memories. Her sculptures tell stories related to her personal life. A piece of a shirt could represent an ex-lover, the pattern of a tablecloth could evoke her relationship with a close friend, a dress she used to wear could tell the story of her personhood before she was diagnosed with early Parkinson's. Since the diagnosis around 10 years ago, the artist has documented the progressive impact of the disease on her body by exploring the creative potential of the tremor in dialogue with the fine motor skills of her hand.
  • Michelle Forsyth, Orange/Green/Purple Stack, 2020

    Orange/Green/Purple Stack, 2020

    Footnotes

    Orange/Green/Purple Stack, 2020

    In   Footnotes, the sculptures begin with bundles of wrapped fabric containing hidden notes written by the artist. Then, Forsyth creates a kind of totem with formed paper and plinths painted with the textile designs. The final product is a photograph that flattens space to accentuate the planes of colour and pattern.

    The diverse actions that go into forming this work, from sewing and building to painting and photographing, represent the artist’s resiliency and creativity in different media.

    Forsyth learned the traditions of craft from her mother, a Norwegian immigrant who taught her how to knit and sew while she grew up on a sailboat. The roots from her family's heritage appear in  patterns  such works as   Red Stack with Norwegian pillow    and   Red stack with pillow.

  • Red Stack with  pillow,  2020

  • Blue-Grey Stack, 2019 
    • Michelle Forsyth, Yellow Stack with Polka Dots, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Yellow Stack with Polka Dots, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Green and Purple Stack with Pink, 2014/2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Green and Purple Stack with Pink, 2014/2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Orange Object on Red, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Orange Object on Red, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Green and Purple Stack with Pink, 2014/2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Green and Purple Stack with Pink, 2014/2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Orange/Green/Purple Stack, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Orange/Green/Purple Stack, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Blue and Red Lean, 2014/2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Blue and Red Lean, 2014/2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Bright Stack with Pink, 2014/2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Bright Stack with Pink, 2014/2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Old Jokes: Green Glove, 2018
      Michelle Forsyth, Old Jokes: Green Glove, 2018
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Colourful Stack with Polka Dots, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Colourful Stack with Polka Dots, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Blue-green stack, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Blue-green stack, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Red Stack with Norwegian pillow, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Red Stack with Norwegian pillow, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Pink Stack, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Pink Stack, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Yellow and Brown Stack, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Yellow and Brown Stack, 2020
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    • Michelle Forsyth, Multi-coloured stack, 2020
      Michelle Forsyth, Multi-coloured stack, 2020
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  • Knit Wear

    Knit Wear #2,  2014-2020

    Knit Wear

    In the centre of each   Knit Wear    composition, a knitted bundle of fabric sits on a painted wood base with the artist intervening in the image using digital drawing. All of these elements follow the same pattern and colour composition. Forsyth adds a final touch of colour by painting the spacer within the frame.
  • Knit Wear #6, 2014-2020

    Knit Wear #6, 2014-2020
  • Improvisation 2: Green Dress 2, 2020

    Improvisation 2: Green Dress 2,  2020
  • Improvisations

    Installation view, Corkin Gallery
    Clothes made for performance

    Improvisations

    Improvisations   is a series of large format self-portraits by Michelle Forsyth. Forsyth appears here for the first time in her work, wrapped in her patterned creations that celebrate her augmented body. She staged private performances where she donned this new wardrobe with the same painted backdrops as the   Footnotes    series. The camera focuses on the artist acting out poses that push the limits of what the body can still do. To create the clothes, Forsyth screen prints fine fabric with painted designs. By photographing herself wearing her hand-made clothes, the artist integrates her persona in a visual dichotomy of appearing and disappearing from within the bold patterns. 
  • Improvisation 2: Green Dress 1, 2020 archival pigment print
    55 x 37 in.
    139.7 x 94.0 cm
    Edition of 3 + 1 AP
  • Michelle Forsyth in conversation with Francisco-Fernando Granados