Adaxka - Alexandra Harley
Title: Adaxka
Artist: Alexandra Harley
Dimensions: 68 x 161 x 91 cm
Material: Wood, paint
Two highly polished planks are lifted off the ground by slim, delicate lengths of painted wood. The gently carved and solid wood planks are not machined, there is a gentle undulating surface which contrasts with the slim, organic branches and the bark of the tree is evident at the edge. These sticks are raw lengths with a collective strength enabling the lift. The planks are not inert, they gather the painted branches, gathering them from a broad spread and forcing them together through holes, constricting them, holding a tight grip before releasing them again. The spaces between very slender and delicate looking lengths of painted wood is significant and these airways through the sculpture are hugely, physically active. The symbiotic relationship of both sets of elements is vital, they rely on each other, and neither can work without the other. The focus of the sculpture is the centred constriction, the sense of the painted components working upwards and creating the lift by the combined action. The blue colour enhances this lift by taking away the grounded sense of the tree and creating a more ethereal and floating idea.
Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize Sculpture Winner 2021