ERIN CALVERT

Emerging Talent / Northern Ireland

My work uses whimsical imagery and haptic material play to approach the issue of social stigmas surrounding people with atypical appearances and abnormalities of the flesh.

I have drawn on my own experience of having warts on my hands in childhood and the behavior of those who would come into contact with me, such as discomfort, curiosity and a desire to ‘cure’ me.

Each piece is bigger than the last, growing and spreading along the arm to cover more surface area and symbolise the panic of contagion.

The ‘ugly’ appearance and flesh-like texture command the attention of the viewer to start a playful conversation about physical difference.

In creating these bulbous, growth-like forms I want to challenge traditional standards of beauty and the body, whilst encouraging the viewer to consider what is ‘normal’ and how they approach the abnormal.