A gymnastic twist on sculpture

A gymnast turned artist is displaying her sculptures in an exhibition Inside Out at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts.

Maidenhead-based ceramic artist Rebekah Narewski’s work can be seen at the Gallery at the venue in Altwood Road, from Saturday to Sunday, September 14.

“Inside Out is abstract work, displaying what’s on the inside out. It is a mix of work that I have produced in the five years since I graduated, focusing on movement of the body,” said Rebekah.

The sculptures are surreal elongations of the human figure which concentrate on posture, movement and stance and reflect for her what it felt like to perform certain movements. The colours used represent the emotional state of the body in that moment.

Her latest work looks at body language and human interaction. Rebekah was brought up in Windsor and trained as gymnast, performing competitively across the country from the age of seven to 15.

Her two passions growing up were art and gymnastics. She said: “If you have a passion for something you have to give it your all and that is what I have done with both gymnastics and now art.”

After attending Princess Margaret Royal Free School in Windsor, it was at Hurst Lodge School in Ascot where Rebekah was inspired by her art teacher to use clay. She soon became passionate about ceramic sculpture.

“I trained quite heavily as a gymnast and it has proved to be a big influence on my work. Gymnastics is about pushing your body to the extremes and my work embodies that. Eventually I had to choose between school and gymnastics and I choose education and art,” she said.

An art foundation course at Reading College of Art and Design was followed by a ceramics degree from the University of Westminster.

Favourite artists and influences include Picasso, ceramic artist Jun Kaneko and Tim Burton. Rebekah will also be exhibiting her ceramics at Windsor Contemporary Art Fair at Royal Windsor Racecourse in November.

The sculptures vary in size and are suitable for display in gardens and the home.