{"id":1311,"date":"2025-04-15T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/?p=1311"},"modified":"2025-04-22T11:40:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T11:40:32","slug":"formidable-bronze-crowns-by-marianna-simnett-conjure-myth-and-the-sublime-feminine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/formidable-bronze-crowns-by-marianna-simnett-conjure-myth-and-the-sublime-feminine\/","title":{"rendered":"Formidable Bronze Crowns by Marianna Simnett Conjure Myth and the Sublime Feminine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Formidable<\/p>\n

For Marianna Simnett<\/a>, sticking to one medium or theme defies her interpretation of what art can be. She fights the natural proclivity of galleries, collectors, and art enthusiasts to typecast her practice as one thing. “Trying to shed those expectations every time\u2014trying to do something different\u2014it’s exhausting but so worth it,” she says in an interview for Art Basel<\/a>. “Now the signature is that people don’t know what to expect, and that’s the best outcome possible.”<\/p>\n

Among myriad strains of her practice\u2014which include filmmaking, sculpture, installation, painting, and performance\u2014a collection of bronze crowns created between 2022 and 2024 command our attention. Situated on top of bespoke velvet cushions, Simnett’s Crowns <\/em>are cast in an alloy that would make the elaborate headpieces burdensome or even painful to wear, yet the meticulously formed arches, band, and spikes manifest as delicate mammals and birds.<\/p>\n

\"a
“Hydra” (2023), bronze and velvet, 55 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Simnett uses vivid and visceral means to explore the body as a site of transformation,” says a statement from SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9<\/a>, which represents the artist. “In psychologically charged works that challenge both herself and the viewer, Simnett imagines radical new worlds filled with untamed thoughts, strange tales, and desires.”<\/p>\n

Named for powerful female figures from ancient lore like Discordia, the Greek goddess of strife, or Lilith, a she-demon in Jewish and Mesopotamian mythology, Simnett’s Crowns<\/em> examine the power, ferocity, and sublimity of allegorical female figures. One can imagine that only supernatural beings could wear these pieces and feel comfortable.<\/p>\n

Simnett’s sculptures were first shown in her exhibition OGRESS <\/em>in 2022. “In fairy tales and folklore, the ogress<\/a> is a voracious monster who deceives men and torments children in her quest to ravish them whole,” says an exhibition statement. Simnett wielded “the ogress’ insatiable hunger as a radical force,” illuminating the role of women in myth and legend, especially the symbolic tension between embracing and fearing those who are different.<\/p>\n

Simnett’s solo exhibition Charades <\/em>opens at SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9 on May 1, coinciding with Berlin Gallery Weekend. Explore a wide range of the artist’s multimedia work on her website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
“Laverna” (2023), bronze and velvet, 55 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of “Laverna.” Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
“Discordia” (2023), bronze and velvet, 17 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 x 16 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
“Maniae” (2022), bronze and velvet, 17 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 x 16 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
“Lilith” (2024), bronze and velvet, 57 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of “Lilith.” Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
“Astraea” (2023), bronze and velvet, 55 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 x 17 1\/2 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and SOCI\u00c9T\u00c9, Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Formidable Bronze Crowns by Marianna Simnett Conjure Myth and the Sublime Feminine<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Marianna Simnett, sticking to one medium or theme defies her interpretation of what art can be. She fights the natural proclivity of galleries, collectors, and art enthusiasts to typecast her practice as one thing. “Trying to shed those expectations every time\u2014trying to do something different\u2014it’s exhausting but so worth it,” she says in an Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1311"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1332,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions\/1332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thishabbo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}