'Seductive and repelling, the works employ subtle humour and the incongruous to undermine the vices and follies that beset humankind....Hayley Lock's miniature collages, including chicken-footed duchesses and owl-headed judges, draw on storytelling and childhood imaginary old paintings and courtiers, to subtly undermine social structures and stereotypes'
These Living walls of Jet, Ceri Hand Gallery, 2008
My practice is based on reproduction, reconfiguration and souvenirs weaving contemporary and historical referencing to reveal the absurdity within the idea of order and perfection. The reproductions I create focus on entwining existing works and objects with aspects of life in modern day society. My practice questions taste and how it is formed socially through high and low culture.
This approach has focused my interests towards hierarchical and fantastical subjects of monarchy and noble folk, dwarfism, bearded ladies, the obese, the anorexic and the deformed. I have also involved mechanical elements to my work with rotating appendages, girls with things to show up their skirts and other socially sensitive prohibitions.
My practice has a tendency to be figurative within its subject of reworking old works, suggesting a darker side to the seductiveness of beauty whilst disrupting the real.
Suggesting further the darker side of seductiveness and attempting to attend to the fragility of sexuality, memory and subjectivity, I have been inspired recently by 17th and 18th century Spanish and Dutch portraiture whilst combining overheard snippets of conversation. Recently I have been working on a miniature series of imaginary boyfriend pieces titled 'My boyfriend is a Count'. Materials used for these have been fabriano paper, stickers, photocopy, ink, glitter, sequins and beads. Materials used are a deliberate force to amalgamate quality hand - made materials with cheap mass produced materials - the mix of the high with the low once more.
My current series of works titled 'Hooves of men'. have contained materials that have been identical to the 'My boyfriend is a count' series which I am hoping will extend into further paintings, collage and sculptures. In these works there is a higher degree of sexual referencing suggesting an inner secret beauty, with each subject staring forward suspended in questionable hidden acts.
