Paloma Proudfoot works within a variety of media, including sculpture, clothes making, text and performance, drawing together personal narratives, historical research and contemporary references. Proudfoot’s work often evokes an uneasy paradox between the human body and its artificial double, exploring the gendered history of fields such as medical anatomical models, shop window mannequins and tailoring. Informed by her background in clothes making, Proudfoot’s artistic process mirrors flat pattern-cutting, initially working with paper templates before realising the work in glazed ceramic, glass, metal and textiles. Juxtaposing the idiosyncrasies of these craft techniques with the hard-edged rhythms of factory production and intricate biomorphic forms, Proudfoot’s work produces an uncanny realisation of the limits and vulnerabilities of the human body. Seeking to articulate amorphous feelings of shame, grief and strength, she delves into the metaphorical and narrative potential of materials.
Paloma Proudfoot (b. 1992) lives and works in London.