Talismanic

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Elaine Duigenan

Talismanic

Elaine Duigenan’s art is grounded in the physical and natural world.

Her process starts with a visceral response to particular objects and develops through a combination of play and research.  The works are made quickly and using simple materials.

Influenced by British Surrealism, Elaine incorporates elements of surprise, juxtaposition and symbolism into her work.

Some of the fragments she uses were buried for centuries in the River Thames, and her work reflects how ‘everyday things are made talismanic by time and immersion’*.

 

23/07/2026 - 13/09/2026

About this exhibition

Elaine says; “I realise that I have been influenced by the surrealist artists and I am drawn to elements of surprise, juxtaposition and symbolism.  Laura Smith discusses how British surrealists used found organic objects as talismans or totems ‘within their assemblages, collages, and photography, linking the British landscape’s mythological histories with their art.’**

I am entranced by the River Thames and have a collection of objects that I’ve found whilst mud larking.  This is the practice of finding things that have been discarded or lost on the foreshore.  Objects are revealed when the tide goes out and range from something as simple as a pin, to Roman treasure, or as contemporary as an earbud or balloon.

 

 

 

 

There is something about working with ordinary objects that makes me want to ‘elevate’ them.  I might remove the background, make a cardboard plinth, or put something on a stick.  Objects are given status and visibility.

What exactly do objects hold?  Perhaps only what we invest in them…”

 

Elaine Duigenan grew up in Birmingham and studied art at Goldsmiths’ College, London, in the 1980s. She joined her US gallery, Klompching, in 2008.  Her work is held in numerous collections including; The V&A, London and The Museum of Fine Art, Houston TX.  She is best known for her work with Scanography and the intense focus she dedicates to objects.

 

*Derek Turner, The Spectator, 2019

**From, British Surrealists and the Natural World by Laura Smith for Art UK online.

@elaine_duigenan