Polly Morgan | |
---|---|
Born | 1980 (age 43–44)
Banbury,
Oxfordshire, England |
Education | George Jamieson, Edinburgh |
Known for | Taxidermy |
Notable work | Rabbit on Hat For Sorrow Still Life After Death (fox) |
Website | Polly Morgan Website |
Polly Morgan (born 1980) is a London-based British artist who uses taxidermy to create works of art. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Polly Morgan was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire England in 1980, [5] and grew up in the Cotswolds on her family farm, and mentions a lack of squeamishness about death as well as being comfortable with the practice of dealing with the corpses of animals. [6] She moved to East London in 1998 and continues to live there today. [5] Morgan graduated from Queen Mary, University of London, in English Literature in 2002. [4]
During her studies, Morgan worked at Shoreditch Electricity Show Rooms, a bar popular with artists; after graduation, she continued to work there as manager. [2] At 23 Morgan was living above the bar and working out of her apartment, "tinkering with taxidermy." [6] Inspired to create work of her own she took a course with the professional taxidermist George Jamieson, of Cramond, in Edinburgh, during which her intuitive and personal response to the medium were obvious. [4] Morgan's first pieces were commissioned by Bistrotheque, after which she was spotted by Banksy: A lovebird looking in a mirror; a squirrel holding a belljar with a little fly perched inside on top of a sugar cube; a magpie with a jewel in its beak; and a couple of chicks standing on a miniature coffin'. [7] [2] In 2005, he invited her to show her work for Santa's Ghetto, an annual exhibition he organized near London's Oxford Street. [4] Her next piece, a white rat in a champagne glass, was exhibited at Wolfe Lenkiewicz's Zoo Art Fair in 2006 and was purchased by Vanessa Branson. [7] [8] [2] Morgan works from a Bethnal Green studio. [1]
Morgan is a member of the UK Guild of Taxidermists. [4] The animals used in her taxidermy are contributed by a network of clients; the animals Morgan uses have died naturally or had unpreventable deaths. [6] She maintains a detailed log of all dead animals in stock. [9]
Morgan believes that those who consider her work disrespectful or cruel to animals are "childish," and that anthropomorphizing the animals she uses is meaningless. [6] Her work emphasizes and displays animals in a way nontraditional to taxidermy, putting the animals in positions which do not generally imply that they are still alive, rather emphasizing the dying fall of the animal. [10]
Morgan is married to Mat Collishaw with whom she has two sons. [11]
Notable exhibitions include: [12]
Polly Morgan | |
---|---|
Born | 1980 (age 43–44)
Banbury,
Oxfordshire, England |
Education | George Jamieson, Edinburgh |
Known for | Taxidermy |
Notable work | Rabbit on Hat For Sorrow Still Life After Death (fox) |
Website | Polly Morgan Website |
Polly Morgan (born 1980) is a London-based British artist who uses taxidermy to create works of art. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Polly Morgan was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire England in 1980, [5] and grew up in the Cotswolds on her family farm, and mentions a lack of squeamishness about death as well as being comfortable with the practice of dealing with the corpses of animals. [6] She moved to East London in 1998 and continues to live there today. [5] Morgan graduated from Queen Mary, University of London, in English Literature in 2002. [4]
During her studies, Morgan worked at Shoreditch Electricity Show Rooms, a bar popular with artists; after graduation, she continued to work there as manager. [2] At 23 Morgan was living above the bar and working out of her apartment, "tinkering with taxidermy." [6] Inspired to create work of her own she took a course with the professional taxidermist George Jamieson, of Cramond, in Edinburgh, during which her intuitive and personal response to the medium were obvious. [4] Morgan's first pieces were commissioned by Bistrotheque, after which she was spotted by Banksy: A lovebird looking in a mirror; a squirrel holding a belljar with a little fly perched inside on top of a sugar cube; a magpie with a jewel in its beak; and a couple of chicks standing on a miniature coffin'. [7] [2] In 2005, he invited her to show her work for Santa's Ghetto, an annual exhibition he organized near London's Oxford Street. [4] Her next piece, a white rat in a champagne glass, was exhibited at Wolfe Lenkiewicz's Zoo Art Fair in 2006 and was purchased by Vanessa Branson. [7] [8] [2] Morgan works from a Bethnal Green studio. [1]
Morgan is a member of the UK Guild of Taxidermists. [4] The animals used in her taxidermy are contributed by a network of clients; the animals Morgan uses have died naturally or had unpreventable deaths. [6] She maintains a detailed log of all dead animals in stock. [9]
Morgan believes that those who consider her work disrespectful or cruel to animals are "childish," and that anthropomorphizing the animals she uses is meaningless. [6] Her work emphasizes and displays animals in a way nontraditional to taxidermy, putting the animals in positions which do not generally imply that they are still alive, rather emphasizing the dying fall of the animal. [10]
Morgan is married to Mat Collishaw with whom she has two sons. [11]
Notable exhibitions include: [12]