Barely Wearable: Ruth Downes

Online Exhibition

This body of work is a continuation of Ruth Downes’ passion for reappropriating everyday materials and objects to celebrate their intrinsic beauty. Materials for these thirty ‘wearable’ artworks have been gleaned from a diverse range of sources - from coffee capsules to face masks. Detritus from nature has also been salvaged to be reborn as a fashion statement.

The works question our accepted values and how we award status by projecting these everyday materials into the realm of art. This is more than a simple up-cycling exercise as Downes has an acute awareness of the potential of the materials. Her trademark humour also runs as a thread throughout the exhibition adding a further dimension.

Details: northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/arts-and-culture/manly-art-gallery-museum/magam-online/catalogues

@magamnsw

Exhibition, fashion, installation, jewellery, sculpture

Top Images L-R: Ruth Downes, A Very Close Shave, 2020. Banding Together, 2020. Photos: Courtesy of the Artist.