london

Exhibition Statement Born and Bread is a collection of works that has come to fruition in a climate that urges our nation to re-address its economic identity. As society's 'bread and butter' necessities move away from the essential to the excessive, the work addresses ideas of value, exchange and the ephemeral. The physical properties of Bread, as a sculptural material, have been an interesting encounter for the participating Born and Bread Artists. Glue, wax, and resin have been used as ways for binding and preserving this perishable matter, with some unexpected results. One artist, for example, left his bread and glue sculpture to dry over night in his studio, only to find the next morning a pile of mouse dropping in its place. Slices of white bread have turned uncontrollably green, the processes of making challenged by the constantly changing state of this fantastically malleable material. The works and their punning titles are proof that the Yorkshire Sculptor's Group have had fun putting together this show. But behind the light-hearted and quirky forms, many economic, cultural, social, and political concerns, in which this staple food is central to, are examined. Temporal art is a genre that has been explored by many artists, using organic matter such as fruit, vegetables and flowers to explore the notion of decay and the ephemeral nature of existence. As the art market booms, the tangible art object becomes a commodity within the framework of our consumerist-led society. What value do these throwaway bread sculptures have in a world full of price tags and warranties? Do they have any value at all, and if the works are worthless, can they be deemed as art? Western phrases such as Bread and Honey, Bread and Butter, Breadwinner, The Bread Line, and Putting Bread on the Table all denote an economic status or circumstance. As a simple metaphor for all basic human necessities, the term 'bread' suggests a number of essential requirements in relation to human survival. We are born and we are bred on conditions and circumstances that are either earned, borrowed, stolen, provided, or longed for, as each individual take their chosen path through life. Is art an essential requirement for our survival as both a society and as an individual, and can its essence be truly measured within a capitalist infrastructure?