Bird on record player, taxidermy kingfisher, record player, vinyl record

Nancy Fouts was a graphic designer and sculptor known for her surreal and subversive images and sculptures. Based in London for the majority of her career, Fouts was a key figure in the London art scene as co-founder of Fouts and Fowler gallery. 

Tarred Baby, resin-dipped fabric baby doll, black acrylic paint

The artist’s works draw on Fouts' background as a graphic artist in advertising and commercial industries -- sculptural objects are arranged for maximum impact and aesthetic effect, and the collisions between disparate objects are highlighted or subdued in a way that draws out the best possible impact on the viewer. In spirit, the works remind me of pieces by surrealist sculptor Matthew Dercole. In execution, they have a similar level of polish to those by Dutch artist Willem de Rooij. 

Fouts’ works do a good job of balancing a sense of discomfort with a sense of childlike wonder and exploration. While the combinations of objects are often unexpected, they are never so visceral as to provoke and entirely off-putting response.

Bird on Arrow, taxidermy bird, metal arrow head, feathers