Opening reception Thursday October 4, 7pm

The Libby Leshgold Gallery is pleased to present Stalactite, a solo exhibition by Irish artist Dorothy Cross. The exhibition features two works: Stalactite, a single channel video work; and Foxglove, a small bronze sculpture.

Cross’s video work depicts the Great Stalactite of Doolin Cave in Country Clare, Ireland. More than seven metres long and weighing over ten tonnes, the stalactite is an enormous calcite formation made from accumulated drops of water over hundreds of thousands of years. Twisting and folding like sheets of fabric, the stalactite defies gravity, clinging on to the cave ceiling by a mere three square metres of calcite. Below the chandelier-like form stands a boy soprano, his clear voice echoing through the cave as he sings a series of vocal utterations. Both the stalactite and singing attest to the progression of time – from the passing of millennia to the bittersweet temporality of a boy soprano’s voice.

Like Stalactite, Cross’s bronze Foxglove is a contemplation on time and mortality. As a flowering plant, the foxglove blooms for a short period before falling dormant for two years. As a bronze work of art, the foxglove is frozen in time. The foxglove has the ability to both take life and prolong it, as it is not only one of the most poisonous common plants but also the source of digitalin used in life-saving cardiac medications.

The work in the exhibition speaks to the artist’s interest in exploring the place of human beings within the natural world. Often using materials associated with the sea including pearls and shark skin, she makes objects that blur the boundaries of both territories.

This exhibition is the first in a series of exhibitions and events that will take place at the Libby Leshgold Gallery entitled Drawn from the Shadows, that will explore time, mortality, loss and spiritual investigation.