Emmie will be exhibited six pieces at The Mall Galleries, London between 13th – 15th December. 35% of sales went to the charity UK Youth supporting youth initiatives around the UK. www.artforyouth.com
The piece above was included in the curated ‘Storytelling’ show as part of the exhibition.
‘The piece is based on a time that I spent on art residency living in a cave in the fascinating area of Cappadocia in Turkey. We encountered an old man selling antique jewellery (featured in the work) who began to tell us stories about the areas past and how likely it is that there are still many undiscovered underground cities and churches curved into the rocks. In the past when danger loomed, Cappadocians retreated underground into one of the 250 subterranean safe havens carved from the pliable volcanic ash rock called tuff. They blocked the access tunnels with round stone doors and sealed themselves in with livestock and supplies until the threat passed. There were defence tunnels and anyone unlucky enough to try and attack the cities might be harpooned by spears, fall down booby trapped holes or worse… In 2013, when demolishing homes ringing the castle construction workers discovered entrances to a network of rooms and tunnels and may have unearthed the biggest hiding place ever found. Those tunnels led scientists to discover a multilevel settlement of living spaces, kitchens, wineries, chapels, staircases, and bezirhane—linseed presses for producing lamp oil, to light the underground city. There is still a lot to discover in this mystical area.’