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ARTIST Frances Stafford is using the might of metaphysics to conjure up futuristic art with a touch of classical tales and cosmic comedy.
Her collection entitled M-Theory is now on display at the World Beat Fitness Centre & Café in Janabiyah where it is captivating audiences.
The 27-year-old Canadian artist used her passion for art along with her observations of human cognition to explore M-Theory, also known as string theory, which is described as ‘the theory of everything’ – a self-contained mathematical model that focuses on fundamental forces and forms of matter.
Frances, from Saar, said: “Art is not created in a vacuum; it takes your whole body of understanding and experiences.
“So when I started studying Christianity at high school, I developed existential questions that followed me to university. I’ve never studied metaphysics, but everything I read seemed to relate to the M-Theory and how it can be used to explain everything. That’s why I used it as my inspiration.
“The M-Theory focuses on how everything is linked and connected. It focuses on how we see and understand time. I look at this in terms of how history is constantly playing the same tune - and it’s such a cosmic comedy.
“In essence the theory looks at time and our understanding of it in terms of various overlapping membranes.”
Frances’ work is exhibited in a much smaller setting than she has been used to, which reinforces the intimacy of her work.
Using her life as a sketchbook, musings of her friends and family as well as herself, she offers the viewer of her artworks a front seat into her life. She even showcases her favourite piece, a birthday card she had made for her friend, creating a more personal experience.
“The venue has a lot to do with what I am exhibiting. I usually do large installations or work with the architectural elements in the spaces I get to work in, but this setting is somewhat more intimate,” she said. “This work is more feral, has an unrefined feel and it’s rare for me to show that so openly.”
Frances produces her protagonists in her pieces in a black felt pen, to highlight the detail and give a clear contrast of the focus against colourful backgrounds.
A clear inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass can be seen in the exhibition where her home culture is infused with those found in the kingdom, displaying various parallels that have been drawn from her upbringing.
Frances moved to Bahrain in 2010 working as a resident curator at Al Riwaq Art Space before starting her career as an exhibition specialist for the Ministry of Culture. The M-Theory exhibition will be held at the World Beat Fitness Centre & Café until June 28.
For more information, call 17612576.
