Tag: Charleston

Lavender Koak

Charleston, Lewes
  1. Lavender Menace, 2025. Acrylic, cornflour and methyl cellulose on non-woven paper.
  2. Dreams of Letting Go, 2025. Pastel, graphite, and casein on natural rag paper in artist’s frame, 43 x 35 cm
  3. Dreams of Tender, 2025. Flashe, pastel, and graphite on natural rag paper in artists frame, 43 x 35 cm.
  4. Dreams of Sleep, 2025. Flashe, pastel, and graphite on natural rag paper in artists frame, 43 x 35 cm.

“‘The Window Set’ does not break down the threshold between the body and its environment, but rather makes visible the ambient poetics of their complex interdependence. In nature, the dream, and the domestic, Koak explores the ways in which identity extends beyond ourselves , and in doing so, envisions the revolutionary potential of self-knowledge and intimacy － transforming tenderness and vulnerability into outward resistance. Like Bell’s work before her, Koak’s work positions femininity and tenderness as the domain of radical connection. Here－ to borrow the words of Ursula K. LeGuin－ resistance cannot be bought, or stumbled upon. Instead, it is contained within us, yet ripples outwards － in landscapes, spirits, bodies and homes.”
－ Ella Slater, from the brochure accompanying Koak, The Window Set.

Can’t say I see it, whatever it means….

Floaters

Charleston, Lewes

We visited Charleston in Lewes to see the Vanessa Bell exhibit. It was bookended by the Quentin Bell sculpture above and the Koak exhibit, below.

“The Dreamer (2025) presents a woman in suspension – self-contained, serene, and held in a peaceful dream state. Her body is sculpted in concrete, a material often associated with foundations and stability, yet here taking on a surprising tenderness and warmth. The figure reimagines Quentin Bell’s sculptural series of levitating women, and Louise Bourgeois’s arched figures, as an embodiment of powerful vulnerability and radical dreaming.”
– Ella Slater, from the brochure accompanying Koak, The Window Set.