EQUILIBRIUM

Odette Ireland continues to develop her artistic language through an expansion of emotional meaning in her latest body of work, Equilibrium. The act of refinement is, for Odette, a simplification of form. Taking control to the unruly forces of nature becomes an expression of life and an indulgence in the artist’s own perfectionism. These ideas—chaos and control – appear in conjunction, forming an oxymoron of meticulously crafted sculptural objects in a display of balance, strength and mechanical complexity.

Odette explores sculptural concepts through movement, tension and balance, creating formal relationships between individual objects. Constructed compositions sit in dialogue with each other, forming a series of sculptural works in which their combined effect becomes greater than the sum of their individual parts. It is through these motifs that Odette provokes a conversation of form, composition, contemplation and reflection, showcasing her formalist sensibilities and technical finesse.

Central to Odette’s practice is the intricate dynamics of family, expressed through the elements of a sculptural landscape. The tree, deconstructed into its basic elements—trunk, leaf and pod—continues to underpin Odette’s conceptual language. Her Totems, grounded and stoic in their intrinsic masculinity, exist in perfect synergy with the Mobiles, feminine in nature and floating gently in equilibrium.

An arrangement of sculptural foliage invites us to experience the precarious, yet invigorating, balance of life as expressed through Odette’s sculptural virtuoso. A landscape reduced to its most primordial form presents a counterpoint to the uncertainty of life and an explanation of what could be a more thoughtful, more peaceful place.

Equilibrium is a dialogue of polarising forces—the masculine and feminine, chaos and control, movement and stillness, strength, and fragility. Through this new body of work, Odette shares her perspective on the world around us through her exceptional craftsmanship and aptitude for materiality on which her art practice sits.