Lauren O'Grady

Country: United Kingdom
The series of three sculptures is concerned with highlighting the construction of truth and historical narrative. Recalling imagery from science fiction film and literature and borrowing from the authority of the museum artefact, “Only give me back the world I threw away” acts as a future relic of an ancient disaster implying a earth-shattering event, although one with hope. Presenting an absurd scenario, comical in its seriousness and gravity, offering a satirical look at our ability to imagine the worst possible outcomes. The title of this piece is a quote taken from the novel 'A Far Sunset' by Edmund Cooper. It was whilst reading this book that O’Grady began to develop ideas for this work. The book written in 1967, although set way into the future (2012) is written in quite traditional, old fashioned language and style. Through the reading of this book the artist realised that no matter how far into the future the world you are describing is, you can’t get away from the time in which you live.

O’Grady sees herself as an explorer in a world where contemporary art is a strange vista. Through her work she navigates a world of contradictions, weaving narratives to imply disastrous and catastrophic events tinged with an air of hope. She encourages satirical looks at the worlds ability to imagine the worst possible outcome, creating artefacts, future relics of past events.