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.

Hidden Dimension by Malgorzata Lisiecka, Pavilion Gallery Courtyard, Cromwell Place

The installation refers to a complex part of the ecosystem that exists in an invisible part of the city, especially in the underground. The massive network of mycorrhizal mycelium and fungi can connect many parts of our environment and plays an important role in the functioning of our world.

The idea of a large system of invisible connections is present not only in the forest, but also in cities. Bringing it out into the light and displaying it in a busy place can spotlight other species that are part of our cities, but also new contexts of connection, collaboration and coexistence. The artist lives in the area with a studio at Empress Place, Earl's Court, and studied at the Royal College of Art.

Detangling MBS by Josephine Chime, One Hoopers Place, Knightsbridge

The installation 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.

MBS means mind, body, and soul. Detangling MBS is a call to service oneself, to create a flow of healthy self reflection which may enact change. The installation 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 the artists

Malgorzata Lisiecka. Visual artist based in London whose practice is located between sculpture, public art, installation, costume, and performance. She crosses the boundaries of disciplines, shifting the functions of both wearable objects and the body, or interacting with the surrounding space.

Her works take into consideration the place, environment and spectators who are often becoming unaware participants of the artwork itself. Exploring the phenomena of biology, nature, as well as the social and technological aspects of our world, leads her into the sphere of experimentation with scale, connection and communication between the material and immaterial realms.

Josephine Chime. The artist'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 amplify via intricate patterns, bold colours and textured shapes inspired by ancestral rituals and traditions." - comments Chime. Her creative practice moves between art and design, teaming with industry clients creating installations, products and illustrations for Gilles Peterson, Boiler Room, Havana Club, Meta and British Council providing space to use art as an expressive therapy.

Further details: www.kcaw.co.uk/kcaw-art-trail

Image credit: (detail) From left to right: Josephine Chime, Detangling MBS, installation view; Malgorzata Lisiecka, Hidden Dimension, installation view, Courtesy of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week.

Talks are held in room 11