When I was a child, two things especially used to bother me a lot. I had heard that a giant squid could blanket Piccadilly Circus and if we pulled out our intestines they would reach the length of a tennis court. Later I learned that there are more atoms in a cup of water than there are cups of water in all the oceans of the world.
Nicky Hirst
Known for her subtle and elegant work employing a variety of media, Nicky Hirst’s art is perhaps best described as an exploration of serendipity that can occur in unintended and unexpected places. Her sources may be particular objects or certain words whose meaning she may subtly shift by manipulation or juxtaposition. Hirst’s output is multifarious, including drawing, sculpture, etched glass, collage, printed text, photography and public art commissions. While avoiding simple categorisation, Hirst’s art is always characterised by a measured stance and sensitivity towards materials.
Penny Sexton, Curator
These objects pack power, but writing about it is well nigh impossible. What is really noticeable is that Hirst understands metaphors. She can summon and control them. This is a rare gift. What she seems to do is this: she suggests a number of possible metaphors, but fulfils none of them. At the same time she ensures that they are coherent one with another. This sets up a kind of magnetic field of associations in which (the viewer feels) the imagination is held, as if suspended, or floating. And in this way the work’s subject becomes not just the connections, but the very idea of connection itself. This in turn becomes metaphorical: it is about language, and human relationships.
David Lillington, Writer and Curator
Nicky Hirst
Known for her subtle and elegant work employing a variety of media, Nicky Hirst’s art is perhaps best described as an exploration of serendipity that can occur in unintended and unexpected places. Her sources may be particular objects or certain words whose meaning she may subtly shift by manipulation or juxtaposition. Hirst’s output is multifarious, including drawing, sculpture, etched glass, collage, printed text, photography and public art commissions. While avoiding simple categorisation, Hirst’s art is always characterised by a measured stance and sensitivity towards materials.
Penny Sexton, Curator
These objects pack power, but writing about it is well nigh impossible. What is really noticeable is that Hirst understands metaphors. She can summon and control them. This is a rare gift. What she seems to do is this: she suggests a number of possible metaphors, but fulfils none of them. At the same time she ensures that they are coherent one with another. This sets up a kind of magnetic field of associations in which (the viewer feels) the imagination is held, as if suspended, or floating. And in this way the work’s subject becomes not just the connections, but the very idea of connection itself. This in turn becomes metaphorical: it is about language, and human relationships.
David Lillington, Writer and Curator