Ozma is more interested in the unusual ones than the ordinary ones. The Wizard of Oz connection quickly succeeded these ideas, and – firstly the idea of the homemade within the works, the significance of home to people today, but also that Oz is the home of all the unusual characters. I started thinking about the church as a body and the sculptures within as fragmented body parts - kind of votives made monstrous. I felt the need to oppose this and to make monuments to celebrate its strength and wonder. The exhibition came about during a time when I was thinking a lot about the vulnerability and weakness of the human body. This adds to the already very theatrical nature of the space – not just a church but a stage.įor me, showing in a church made it impossible not to think of mortality. From here, the idea of hanging works from the beams above evolved. I felt the work had to be made in response to these factors so I always knew that I wanted the work to utilise the height. As you say, it is such an iconic space and could be viewed as an artwork in its own right! It is long, narrow and very high and so not an easy space to show in. On the occasion of Baldock’s solo show spread over the two spaces of CGP London in Southwark Park, including Dilston Grove, the cavernous historic church that was one of the first concrete buildings of its size in Britain, Marcelle Joseph talks to Baldock about his theatrical sculptural practice and the new cast of characters he was commissioned to make for There’s No Place Like Home.Ĭongratulations on your latest solo exhibition at CGP! Working in such an iconic and monumental building as Dilston Grove and covering two separate locales, how did you approach this show? What came first? The form or scale of the sculptures? The materials? The reference to The Wizard of Oz?ĬGP commissioned me to make new works for their Dilston Grove (church) space. Baldock’s work can also be seen in Hull (at the Hull Maritime Museum until 2 nd July 2017 as part of its UK City of Culture programme throughout 2017) and in Blackpool (at the Grundy Art Gallery as part of a collaborative touring exhibition in three parts with fellow artist Emma Hart until 12 th July). For There’s No Place Like Home at CGP London (on until 30 July 2017), Baldock’s largest and first solo exhibition in a public institution in London, the artist, referencing the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz, creates a symphony of surreal sculptures that play with scale, horror and marvel bordering on the grotesque. Like Dorothy’s ruby slippers, Baldock’s work has a performative element that encourages its audience to engage with it. Employing crafts traditionally associated with the domestic sphere, such as home felting, basket weaving, candle making, appliqué, ceramics and stitching, Baldock’s multidisciplinary practice incorporates painting, sculpture, performance and playful installations, finding inspiration in the enchanted realms of mythology, masks, tribal rituals and folkloristic traditions. Baldock blurs the line between art and theatre with his cast of enigmatic characters – typically meticulously crafted, soft, pastel pink sculptural assemblages that focus on the human form with an unsettling sense of humour. The artwork of British artist Jonathan Baldock is equally transportative. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…” Suddenly, images flash through your mind of a baby blue gingham-bedecked Dorothy clicking the heels of her red sequined shoes.
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