Sally Annett: Lockdown

Sally Annett is a British born multi-media, multi-disciplinary artist based at her ongoing project Association ATELIER MELUSINE in SW France. Her work is concerned with language, ecology, meta-representation and the 'tree of life'. She deals with ideas around consciousness; linguistics, semiotics, genealogies and belief systems, looking at the different levels of existent and the structures which support them.

"The 'tree' is one of the oldest schematas in human recorded history and holds a mass of histories, narratives and connectivities and much of my work is based around historic socio/political images of the tree. I always include language in my works, whether it is the spoken word or written text and the continuing desecration of the planet is central to my work. I enjoy creating temporary and site specific public artworks and build on my knowledge and skill base through curation, collaboration and commissioning.

I have been locked down in the ATELIER MELUSINE during the pandemic and was admitted to the Poitier CHU COVID-19 unit as a patient. I have long term lung and bone damage from the pneumonia and am still shielded. We have been in almost complete isolation and I am still unable to breathe without medical help. Like many we have also had no income throughout this time. We have been managing to make work with the resources we have in the building, ashes from the fire, flowers and weeds from the garden, food products and paper. I have made prints from the fauna we have found and paintings with handmade inks as well as paper-mache masks. I have had vivid hallucinations caused by lack of oxygen (they are calling it PTSD, it is not, it is hypoxemia) written notes and spells and incantations, made prayers to every angelic and magical being I can to stay alive and, at points, drawn and written on the walls.

As I have recovered, I have being enjoying the digital links and connections available and have curated 'Lockdown'; showing the work of other artists who have been directly affected by COVID and lack of breath. The ATELIER re-opens with 'Lockdown' in France and online on the first of August 2020 with work by Carl Abrahamsson, Annie Abrahams, Nadia Perrotta, Lesly PierrePaul, Annett-Parish and myself. Admission will be limited and only for those wearing masks."

You can find out more about the Lockdown exhibition here, or support Sally and her project through her Patreon page.

CuratorSpace are currently featuring articles by artists, curators and organisations who want to share their experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that is artists using their practice as a way of exploring new boundaries of isolation, or as a way to connect more broadly with their communities. We are also interested in hearing from curators and organisations who are offering support to artists and audiences during this time.

Contact us at louise@curatorspace.com to share your story.
 

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