Details:

The paintings in this series are all portraits of the artist as the Corleck Head, a three-faced stone idol found in Ireland dating back to the Iron Age. It is often taken to represent time or three gods or goddesses, but ultimately devoid of known meaning. Using this mysterious object as a basis for self-reflection, the artist depicts the protagonist as stretched between the past, present, and future. When considered from the present, the figure takes on a mask-like state of being in limbo—or even in a purgatory of indecision.
Unframed
Signed

① Artwork:

Corleck Head (with sharp martini glass)

The paintings in this series are all portraits of the artist as the Corleck Head, a three-faced stone idol found in Ireland dating back to the Iron Age. It is often taken to represent time or three gods or goddesses, but ultimately devoid of known meaning. Using this mysterious object as a basis for self-reflection, the artist depicts the protagonist as stretched between the past, present, and future. When considered from the present, the figure takes on a mask-like state of being in limbo—or even in a purgatory of indecision.

Anousha Payne places spirituality and animism at the center of her work. Her practice is rooted in narratives with rich historical legacies that she evolves via personal adaptations and embellishments. Through stories about human interaction, communication, and simple gestures or expressions, her work questions the boundaries between personal experience and myth. Drawing inspiration from her dual Irish and Indian heritage, she weaves cultural lore into her work to create a lexicon and iconography all her own.

Specs:

18 inches
12 inches

③ Artist:

Anousha Payne

Anousha Payne's practice is rooted in stories with rich, historical legacies passed down through generations, evolving through personal adaptations and embellishments. By fusing moral dilemmas, magic, immateriality, and metamorphic characters, Payne explores narratives surrounding human interaction, communication, and simple gestures or expressions. Her work questions the boundaries between personal experience and myth by playing with the performative power of objects. Drawing inspiration from her dual Irish and Indian heritage, she weaves cultural stories and characters into her sculptures and paintings to create a lexicon and iconography that are all her own.

Anousha Payne was born in 1991 and lives in London, UK. She earned her BA from Camberwell College of Arts in London, UK (2014).

She has mounted solo and two-person exhibitions at Deli Gallery in New York City, NY (2023); Stellarhighway in Brooklyn, NY (2022); Public Gallery in London, UK (2022); Cooke Latham in London, UK (2021); and Indigo+Madder in London, UK (2020).

She has participated in group exhibitions such as Earthly Pleasures at Deli Gallery in New York City, NY (2023); New Ancients at Guts Gallery in London, UK (2023); Threads at Arnolfini Arts in Bristol, UK (2023); Snakes in the Grass at Newchild Gallery, Antwerp, BE (2023); and Potheads at Swivel Gallery in Brooklyn, NY (2023), among others.

Payne has attended residencies at Cravieral Farmhouse in Craveiral, Portugal; London Bronze Editions in London, UK; the Fores Project in London, UK; and Villa Lena in Tuscany, Italy.

Anousha Payne:
Corleck Head (with sharp martini glass), 2022
Watercolor, pigment, gel medium, bio-resin and oil paint on cotton
12.0 × 18.0 inches /