The portrait of the artist, Courtesy of Jessica Silverman Gallery
Jessica Silverman Gallery will host British artist Emma Cousin’s first solo exhibition in the United States from November 12 through December 21, 2024. Titled “Landmark,” the show will present eight new paintings and a selection of drawings inspired by the Jurassic Coast of southern England, mapping new visual and conceptual territories by fusing the human form with natural landscapes. This new body of work marks a significant moment in Cousin's career as she expands her exploration of abstraction, humor, and surrealism to the U.S. art scene.
Cousin’s use of verdant green hues connects ecological and bodily elements, challenging traditional divisions between subject and environment. The exhibition features exaggerated, entangled forms of both humans and animals, which are embedded within imagined terrains. Her work is a vivid juxtaposition of natural forms and figures that highlight a sense of interconnectedness, blurring boundaries between humanity and the natural world.
Milkweed, 2024, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 63 x 51 1/8 x 1 3/8 inches / 160 x 130 x 3.5 cm
In works such as Cover Point (2024), Cousin integrates abstracted figures with elements of cartography, where bodily forms seem to emerge from the earthy strata of soil, peat, and clay. This interplay of colors and shapes echoes the artist's fascination with dissolving the separation between body and landscape, giving rise to a visual experience where limbs and land meld into one.
Another key piece, Fossa (2024), draws inspiration from surrealist art, medieval anatomy, and stained glass to portray a microcosmic world teeming with insect life. Cousin's approach brings together organic curves and geometric segments, inviting the viewer to observe a layered mix of scientific observation and personal myth. The shimmering paint in Fossa conjures alien-like realms, transforming insect life into symbols of something far beyond our everyday comprehension.
"Landmark" also draws attention to Cousin's innovative manipulation of scale, where heads take on the dimensions of mountains and eyes peer outward like features in a dynamic landscape. In this presentation, the human form becomes intertwined with natural features, and Cousin uses humor to subvert the familiar—offering a vision of how we might rethink our relationship with the world.
Delta, 2024, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 55 1/8 x 43 1/4 x 1 3/8 inches / 140 x 110 x 3.5 cm
Cousin’s emphasis on the color green, with hues ranging from jewel-like tones to muted shades reminiscent of decay, speaks to themes of life, death, and our ongoing relationship with the environment. Her paintings confront the notion that nature is external, instead proposing that the environment is entangled within our bodies and existence.
Emma Cousin, born in Yorkshire in 1986 and based in London, studied at Oxford University’s Ruskin School of Fine Art. Her works have been exhibited across Europe and Asia, including at the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art in London. She has been awarded prestigious residencies such as the Hogchester Arts residency in 2024 and the Skowhegan School of Painting residency in 2018. Cousin's works are held in major public collections, including the Arts Council Collection, in London, and museums in China, Latvia, and Lebanon.
“Landmark” represents an important step in Cousin's career, introducing her layered, often surreal, take on the human experience in nature to a wider audience. Admission is free, and the exhibition will be displayed at Jessica Silverman Gallery through December 21, 2024.
Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com
The portrait of the artist, Courtesy of Jessica Silverman Gallery
Jessica Silverman Gallery will host British artist Emma Cousin’s first solo exhibition in the United States from November 12 through December 21, 2024. Titled “Landmark,” the show will present eight new paintings and a selection of drawings inspired by the Jurassic Coast of southern England, mapping new visual and conceptual territories by fusing the human form with natural landscapes. This new body of work marks a significant moment in Cousin's career as she expands her exploration of abstraction, humor, and surrealism to the U.S. art scene.
Cousin’s use of verdant green hues connects ecological and bodily elements, challenging traditional divisions between subject and environment. The exhibition features exaggerated, entangled forms of both humans and animals, which are embedded within imagined terrains. Her work is a vivid juxtaposition of natural forms and figures that highlight a sense of interconnectedness, blurring boundaries between humanity and the natural world.
Milkweed, 2024, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 63 x 51 1/8 x 1 3/8 inches / 160 x 130 x 3.5 cm
In works such as Cover Point (2024), Cousin integrates abstracted figures with elements of cartography, where bodily forms seem to emerge from the earthy strata of soil, peat, and clay. This interplay of colors and shapes echoes the artist's fascination with dissolving the separation between body and landscape, giving rise to a visual experience where limbs and land meld into one.
Another key piece, Fossa (2024), draws inspiration from surrealist art, medieval anatomy, and stained glass to portray a microcosmic world teeming with insect life. Cousin's approach brings together organic curves and geometric segments, inviting the viewer to observe a layered mix of scientific observation and personal myth. The shimmering paint in Fossa conjures alien-like realms, transforming insect life into symbols of something far beyond our everyday comprehension.
"Landmark" also draws attention to Cousin's innovative manipulation of scale, where heads take on the dimensions of mountains and eyes peer outward like features in a dynamic landscape. In this presentation, the human form becomes intertwined with natural features, and Cousin uses humor to subvert the familiar—offering a vision of how we might rethink our relationship with the world.
Delta, 2024, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 55 1/8 x 43 1/4 x 1 3/8 inches / 140 x 110 x 3.5 cm
Cousin’s emphasis on the color green, with hues ranging from jewel-like tones to muted shades reminiscent of decay, speaks to themes of life, death, and our ongoing relationship with the environment. Her paintings confront the notion that nature is external, instead proposing that the environment is entangled within our bodies and existence.
Emma Cousin, born in Yorkshire in 1986 and based in London, studied at Oxford University’s Ruskin School of Fine Art. Her works have been exhibited across Europe and Asia, including at the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art in London. She has been awarded prestigious residencies such as the Hogchester Arts residency in 2024 and the Skowhegan School of Painting residency in 2018. Cousin's works are held in major public collections, including the Arts Council Collection, in London, and museums in China, Latvia, and Lebanon.
“Landmark” represents an important step in Cousin's career, introducing her layered, often surreal, take on the human experience in nature to a wider audience. Admission is free, and the exhibition will be displayed at Jessica Silverman Gallery through December 21, 2024.
