PUBLIC ART TRAIL : JOSEPHINE CHIME

‘Detangling The MBS’ is a mixed media sculpture a response to the confining narratives and contradicting messages of how women should present themselves. Chime’s practice delves into skewing the dominant notion of aesthetic goals, pulling from ancestral symbolic practices and pictographic messages to inform new female forms that transgress what is socially desirable.

Stuffed bulbous and warped forms reflect body parts, they are bound with rope on top of an engraved dark looming comb, speaking on the pressure to control the natural form and rhythms of the human vessel. The hair comb embodies myths and rituals of how people mould and seek to tame what grows from their skin in order to achieve an acceptable idea of beauty or make their own.

MBS means mind, body and soul. Detangling The MBS is a call to service oneself, to create a flow of healthy self reflection which may enact change. Detangling The MBS speaks of action, a constant action to become a version of yourself that can recognise the myriad of life’s offerings and self-worth.

Starting with the self to loosen the knots found in the heart, the muscles and psyche it is a monumental step in feeling free from life’s expectations and societal constraints.

ABOUT JOSEPHINE CHIME

Josephine Chime’s practice delves into transgressing ideas of accepted beauty through the deconstruction of the body. The strong cord that connects her work is the visual analysis on the onslaught of female homogeneous images and how technology shapes the vision and ideals of what is desirable.

“I see our skin holds the story of the body like etched hieroglyphics, instead of silencing the story my intention is to it is amplified via intricate patterns, bold colours, and textured shapes inspired by ancestral rituals and traditions.” - comments Chime.

The artist would like to offer affordable variations of artworks inspired by the sculpture for sale. This helps to support her practice but also, by keeping prices low, she can share her work with the wider community.

‘Detangling’ draws from the essence of the sculpture Detangling The MBS. MBS stands for mind, body, and soul.

This installation is supported by the Knightsbridge Estate and Knightsbridge Partnership.

One Hoopers Court
Knightsbridge Underground Station
Open 24/7

@jaccartist
josephinechime.cargo.site

ABOUT KENSINGTON + CHELSEA ART TRAIL 6th EDITION

The KCAW Public Art Trail creates ambitious temporary installations across our area of West London. KCAW runs an annual OPEN CALL for artists, creative organisations, and curators to submit artworks to be displayed in a variety of public spaces for one month or longer during the summer.

Over a million visitors engage with ART TRAIL per week during the summer and the project would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, partners and art committee.

2023 THEME THE ART OF CHANGE

The Open Call entries are reviewed by an esteemed panel that changes every year and with reference to this year’s overarching theme: The Art Of Change.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” - Socrates.

Progress is impossible without change, the alternative is stagnation.

The key lies in embracing this reality and even seeking it, in order to access the unimaginable. Change is a moment of bravery and action, the moment to embrace the flow of chance - that’s the moment of freedom, the feeling of change in the air.

Join KCAW Director, Vestalia Chilton, in a forum with artists, Malgorzata Liescka and Josephine Chime - discussing insights into their installations. The former is exhibiting "Hidden Dimension" at Cromwell Place's Pavilion Courtyard, the latter is showcasing "Detangling MBS" in Knightsbridge.

Talks are held in room 11

11am - 12 noon
2pm - 3pm