Power Figures

"... A recent fellowship in a remote village in China was an inspirational experience, leading Colella to reflect on Chinese cultural history and inspiring her to create an array of timeless, poignant stuffed "beasts" she envisions as power figures. Recalling fetish or totem items from some unknown past, these odd, decorated creatures have both a weighty, tactile solidity and a sense of wounded fragility. They look, to an extent, like they suffer. They are, in many ways, out of whack."
Essay excerpt: Shawn Hill   Photography: Will Howcroft