Emerging from the conceptual art, dance and feminist art scenes of the 1970s, Rose ENGLISH is best known for her contributions to the development of performance art in Britain. English’s friendship with Brett began in the 1980s and continued until his death in early 2021 – a rich source of inspiration for both artist and critic. A regular guest at English’s early performances through this forty year period, Brett’s writing over many years helped shed light on the originality and complexity of English’s work. They collaborated closely on the major monograph of the artist’s work, Abstract Vaudeville: The Work of Rose English (Ridinghouse 2014) which also includes English’s texts and scripts. The two are seen here enjoying dancing together as directed by David Medalla in a 1994 video by Tina Keane which Medalla later included in his Mondrian Fan Club New Year’s Eve event.  

Also included in ‘Part II: Pioneers’ are photographs and ceramics made for and deriving from another early performance by English: A Divertissement (1973). Lace veils – appearing as if fabric yet sculpted from clay – precariously hang from the ceiling while a dancer poses and performs behind the curtain. Playing with audience perceptions, the work offers insights into the making of things that lies at the root of the artist’s performances. In her series of four photo-collages from 1972 (Untitled, 1972, see above), English similarly explores sequencing and mixing still and moving images to create cinematic-like effects on paper.

 

Working with models who were often friends, family members, and many times, herself, the motifs and references that appear in English’s early vignettes – dancers, wings, feathers, curtains and veils repeatedly appear in later works as well.  We see this in her glazed and enamelled ceramic Porcelain Dancers or the photographic Small Porcelain Pieces (Collage) (all 1973), with their allegorical references to world folklore including Greek mythology and an ongoing fascination with philosophy and the deconstruction of stereotypes.