Jessica Warboys' 'Allotropes' at Casa Masaccio

Jessica Warboys (Newport, 1977) presents her first solo exhibition in an Italian institution, 'Allotropes', at Casa Masaccio in San Giovanni Valdarno, curated by Sara Matson, Laura Smith, and Rita Selvaggio. The show runs until July 24, 2016. It features three new paintings created for the space, corresponding to her film trilogy: 'Hill of Dreams' (2016), 'Pageant Roll' (2012), and 'Boudica' (2014). The films were shot in Cornwall, Norfolk, and Wales, and explore themes of landscape, memory, and mythology, referencing megaliths, the warrior queen Boudica, and Victorian writer Arthur Machen. The paintings are described as crystalline abstractions of the films, metaphorically shaped like diamonds, reflecting the chemical concept of allotropy. 'Hill of Dreams' was co-produced by Tate St Ives, Casa Masaccio, and Kunsthall Stavanger. The exhibition will travel to Kunsthall Stavanger in October 2016 and Tate St Ives in March 2017. Warboys' practice often engages with historical figures and pagan mythology, reinterpreting them through a personal lens. The interview with curator Rita Selvaggio discusses the conceptual framework of allotropy, the artist's interest in the sound of the word 'allotrope', and the dialogue between the works and the architecture of Casa Masaccio.