My name is Vera Courinha Marques, I am a Portuguese artist, living in the Somerset area since I moved with my family to England in 2013. I graduated in 2020 and I have been investing in my career since then. Between the months of July 2020 to July 2021 I worked in a foundry, casting Bronze and Resin sculptures, this Job allowed me to develop my skills regarding with sculpture in a large scale, learning new techniques and Mould Making.
Since October 2021 I have been an artist in residence at University Somerset in Taunton. During my time at the University, I realised that my confidence as an artist grew from the interaction between artists, in a creative environment, allowing me to have the opportunity to exhibit my work at the white space Gallery, in a collective exhibition, ‘Rooted’.In March 2022, I started collaborating with Chard Museum and I set up my studio there. Now I am the artist in residence at the Museum and I am very interested in working with my community, to better connect with creative people which has also led to the creation of my Artist Club, where artists of various backgrounds are free to exchange experiences and knowledge in a completely safe environment.
This piece is a result of a deep reflection about modern Slavery. My research dragged a reality that I thought didn’t exist anymore.
The idea was to use a Marionette as a metaphor, representing a person that is losing their own identity caused by permanent abuse.The wrists and the mouth are tight with a rotten and stitched fabric representing the rotten XXI century. The lines are red representing the blood and the suffering. The feet are covered in words that reflected the victims’ emotions, thoughts, feelings…
I also considered the size of the piece (Child size) and the position of the body is a way of reflecting on the human behaviour and sociologic aspects of violence.
Artist’s Email: veracmstudios@gmail.com