‘Quiver’ Surveys Twenty Years of Striking Feather Sculptures by Kate MccGwire

Although we’re familiar with numerous birds displaying bright blue hues, from the aptly named blue jays to indigo buntings to various species of heron, this color in avians’ feathers is actually a trick of physics. While hues like red and yellow are produced from pigments, blue results from the way light interacts with molecules inherent to the structure of the feathers. And it’s this delightful, elusive luster that lends itself so well to Kate MccGwire’s striking sculptures.

Next month, MccGwire (previously) opens a solo exhibition at the Djanogly Gallery at Lakeside Arts titled Quiver, surveying two decades of the artist’s work with ethically sourced feathers. Striking, framed wall pieces meet undulating specimens in freestanding vitrines and large-scale, site-specific installations. The vintage glass cases and domes nod to the 19th-century fascination with taxidermied trophy animals that adorned museum walls and grand private homes.

a circular composition of feathers — “Quiver” (2012). Photo by Ian Stuart

Working from a converted Dutch barge in West London, MccGwire’s studio mirrors her interest in nature. Like water, her compositions shimmer in the light and appear to swirl and roil, whether pool-like in frames or serpentine and encased in glass. Plumbing the inherent tensions between themes of beauty and revulsion, life and death, and wildness and captivity, the artist encourages us to consider our emotional and ever-evolving relationship with nature.

Quiver runs from September 20 to January 4 in Nottingham. If you’re in Sag Harbor, you can also see MccGwire’s work in The Ark at The Church, curated by Eric Fischl, which continues through September 1. And a piece is also included in Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, which runs through August 10 at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore before traveling to the Kunsthal, Rotterdam, where it opens on September 27. Find more on the MccGwire’s website and Instagram.

a sculpture made of green feathers that appear to be serpentine and knotted inside of a glass vitrine — “Flex”

a swirling composition of patterned feathers — “Cavort (West)”

a wall sculpture of black, undulating feathers — “Host.” Photo by Tessa Angus

a framed composition of swirling blue feathers — “Reel” (2015). Photo by JP Bland

a sculpture made of white feathers that appear to be serpentine and knotted inside of a vitrine — “Stifle.” Photo by Tessa Angus

a sculpture made of gray feathers that appear to be serpentine and knotted inside of a large wooden vitrine — “Gyrus” (2019). Photo by JP Bland

a framed composition of swirling white feather stalks — “Surge (Columba).” Photo by Tessa Angus

a sculpture made of black feathers that appear to be serpentine and knotted — “Gag”

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