BIOGRAPHY
Henry Hussey’s commanding works carry a physical and symbolic weighing. He interweaves his personal histories with the aged textiles, skilfully expressing a library of imagery derived from objects, experiences and photographs, resulting in a colourful and complex visual story.
The artist’s relationship with textiles stems from the mediums power to encapsulate periods and cultures. Hussey’s works portray strong narratives, which carry a lineage with his past and familial history, emphasising his fascination with storytelling and mythology. He seeks to employ a variety of techniques that are both engaging and confrontational. The juxtaposition between appliqué, screen-printed, digitally printed, traditionally dyed and embroidered textiles, form a cacophony of awe-inspiring works that are visually arresting.
A significant aspect of his practise incorporates performances which he uses as a way of evoking unexpected perceptions and reactions, thus developing a greater understanding of the way emotions are communicated through the face and body. The artist’s works piece together fragments of his past, becoming visual diary entries, imprinted with bold colour and expressive figuration.
Hussey graduated from Chelsea College of Art with a BA (Hons) in 2011, completing his MA in Textiles at the Royal College of Art in 2013.
“Obtaining the truth in the confrontations that I have experienced drives me as an individual. Whether this leads to aggressive, saddening or uncomfortable situations it gives the opportunity to reflect and examine the choices that define me. To achieve this heightened emotional state I stage performance pieces between actors and myself in order to delve into these ordeals and get to the root of them. This has become a significant part of my practice, as I am concerned with portraying genuine expressions of pathos and the tribulations we go through.”
