Rooted in the language of materials, Charlie Franklin’s work considers control, physical experience & memory within the natural landscape.
She uses materials that are hollow or formless, such as cardboard boxes & plaster. Challenging the boundaries between sculpture & painting, she builds up two-dimensional surfaces that become shaped to function as sculptural objects. The skin surface of these core materials are transformed, becoming masked & misshapen as they are painted, collaged, gilded or wrapped. Scale ranges dramatically, from small painterly wall pieces to much larger dominant forms strewn across the ground. These works act as anchors or landmarks, as Franklin seeks to uncover the ways in which objects can mark their territory & determine our sense of place.
Charlie Franklin (b.1983) is a British artist currently based in Cornwall. She completed her BA in Fine Art at Middlesex University, London, in 2005, & her Master’s degree in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art & Design, London, in 2008. Recent exhibitions include John Moores Painting Prize (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK), Creekside OPEN selected by Alison Wilding (APT, London, UK), & Winter Sculpture Park III (Gallery No.32, London). Solo exhibitions include Over Ground Uneven (Vane Gallery, Newcastle, UK) in 2019, Fizmers (Broadway Gallery, Letchworth Garden City, UK) in 2021 & Outliers (The Stone Space, London) in 2023. Franklin has undertaken artist residencies in Ireland, Iceland, & the UK.
A note on outdoor work: All materials are removed. Care is taken when interacting with the natural world, and the site is always left as it was found.
Download CV