THE SUBTLE RULES THE DENSE | Book Launch & Finissage

Phoebe Collings-James

26 October 2023

Join us for the Book Launch & Finissage for Phoebe Collings-James’ exhibition
bun babylon; a heretics anthology
26 October 2023, 6:00 – 8:00pm

A series by Phoebe Collings-James

With texts by Serafine1369, Rehana Zaman, and Kathryn Yusoff

Moulded from clay, between 2021 and 2023, The subtle rules the dense is a series of ceramic chest plates, by the artist Phoebe Collings-James. Inspired by Makonde and Yoruba body masks and Roman muscle cuirasses, the sculptures explore the interplay between the violent histories of ritualistic objects and their contemporary presentation as fetishistic ornaments. This publication brings together responses to the series from artists SERAFINE1369 and Rehana Zaman and geographer Professor Kathryn Yusoff exploring layered references to tarot, Shakespeare and post-colonial theory; probing the materiality and extractive politics of geology; and reflecting the plural multifaceted nature of Collings-James’ practice.

88 pages
175 x 130 mm
Arcadia Missa Edition: 2023
Editor: Ruth Pilston