Bound Within a Hidden Space | 29th October – 20th November 2010

Gemma Copp, a Swansea based artist has created a new body of work, consisting predominately of a series of performative actions, entitled ‘Bound Within a Hidden Space’. her first solo show. The work explores notions of emotional entrapment and confinement and is set within a secluded and disused barn, highlighting the feeling of isolation.  The artist’s preoccupation lies within the notion of transition, whether it is within the environment created by the artist literally, or metaphorically, or by the symbolic use of props collected by the artist. The narrative is centered on an old Victorian cast iron bed. Stripped of its mattress it is both an object of beauty and paradoxically of harshness, altering the perception and concepts of comfort and desire. Dominant attitudes are questioned as the artist endeavors to break free from these physically and psychological restraints.

Copp also shows ‘Autonomy’, the trace of a performance which echoes many of the same themes within a different environment.