Renee So @ Henry Moore Institute

Renee So makes ceramic sculptures and machine-knitted textiles. The exhibition, Bellarmines and Bootlegs includes works from 2012 to the present.
So’s extensive research into the histories of European and Assyrian sculpture, along with an enthusiasm for theatre costume, cartoons, advertising design and popular souvenirs, has resulted in a unique take on portraiture. Her trans-historical points of reference combine into heavily stylised, magical and mythical images in both her sculptures and what the artist calls ‘knitted paintings’. Featuring a central protagonist, a bearded and inebriated man accompanied by an array of props – pipes, cigarettes, boots, hats and drinking vessels – So’s work assimilates histories of representation in sculpture and beyond.