Mister Finch, “Penelope”, 2015.
Mister Finch hails from Leeds, England, where he keeps a studio filled with the woodland fauna and flora of his native land. Whether insectum or aviae, fungi or mammalia, Mister Finch recasts the creepy crawly delights of the forest in recycled textiles that add an elegant touch. His wonderful creations are currently on view at “Mister Finch’s Handmade Museum,” his first solo show, at the Steven Kasher Gallery, New York, through July 31, 2015.
Mister Finch, “Spider”.
Situated in the backroom of the gallery, Mister Finch has installed a curious cabinet of delights that create a feeling of gracious luxury. The mushrooms and toadstools dot the walls in varying sizes, each situated on its own base, while spiders drop down from the ceiling and slink along the wall. A long table features birds laying across their back, dead and yet in a state of eternal repose, like mummies awaiting their wraps. Mister Finch’s menagerie of woodland beasts, birds, insects, and mushrooms returns us to a time when the world was innocent, and anything was possible.
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Mister Finch observes, “Folklore is so beautifully rich in fabulous stories and warnings and never ceases to be at the heart of what I make: shape-shifting witches, moon-gazing hares and a smartly dressed devil ready to invite you to stray from the path. Velvet curtains from and old hotel, a threadbare wedding dress and a vintage apron become birds and beasts, looking for new owners and adventures to have, storytelling creatures for people who are also a little lost, found and forgotten. I want to inject a bit of old-fashioned magic back into the world.
Mister Finch, “Dead Birds”.
“My main inspirations come from nature and often I return to certain ideas again and again. Flowers, insects, and birds really fascinate me with their amazing life cycles and extraordinary nests and behaviors. British folklore is also so beautifully rich in fabulous stories and warnings and never ceases to be at the heart of what I make: shape-shifting witches, moon-gazing hares, and a smartly dressed devil ready to invite you to stray from the path. Humanizing animals with shoes and clothes is something I’ve always done and I imagine them to come alive at night, getting dressed, and helping an elderly shoemaker and a tired housewife.”
The result is an invitation into wonderland of delight, like dropping acid at ABC Carpet and Home in the middle of the night. Mister Finch has an air about him. Shall we call it impeccably naughty? It is revealed beautifully in his sculptures, and in his monograph, Mister Finch’s: Living in a FairyTale World (Glitterati Incorporated), available at the exhibition as well.
