Bea
Last

I am a professional contemporary artist responding to the urgent realities of our time - conflict, displacement, humanitarian crisis, environmental fragility and the complexities of the human condition. Working predominantly through large scale sculptural drawing Installations I transform repurposed,recycled, salvaged and found materials into immersive works that explore both collective experience and personal memory. Through this process,discarded materials are given renewed presence and purpose becoming metaphors for resilience, endurance, fragility and hope.

At the centre of my practice is an ongoing investigation into humanity's capacity for destruction and survival. My installations emerge from direct responses to world events , media narrative and social division whilst also exploring deeply emotional and personal landscapes . I am interested in the tension between beauty and discomfort, creating works that initially attract the viewer through materiality , repetition and scale before revealing more unsettling narratives beneath the surface. Installations such as The Red Bags and The One Hundred and Twenty Four

for example, examines themes on migration, borders, instability, displacement and societal fracture. Bullet holes, ripped fabrics, hessian, rope, newspaper and reclaimed objects become visual evidence of trauma and survival . These materials carry their own histories allowing the work to hold both physical and psychological weight.

Alongside my studio practice education and community engagement form an important part of my work. Through mentoring, workshops , Artist talks and inclusive creative projects i aim to create spaces where art becomes accessible, meaningful and socially connected. I believe that Art has the power to open dialogue, challenge perceptions and foster empathy in ever increasing times of division.