Freya Pocklington‘s drawings depict characters on the verdant fringes of society. Disarmingly charming in their execution, Freya’s work is closely bound to the idea of outsiders: how they come to be so, how they are perceived by others, and in particular the role that the media can play in creating outsiders by turning the everyday into the sensational. Many of her ideas come from internet news stories which over time have seen their subjects raised up and misrepresented, till everyday people are turned into spectacles to be gawped at, leaving them isolated and misunderstood. Freya explores this process through fragile characters in incredible, fantastical environments, surrounded by accumulations of unrelated objects that echo the noise of information excess. There is always an animal element, be they as crazy friends or facial masks, hinting on the one hand at the feral enjoyment that bizarre spectacles can create, and also relating to Freya’s research into the role that animals can play in helping fragile people to recover.
Freya Pocklington (b. 1984, UK) graduated from Edinburgh College of Art (BA Fine Art) in 2006 and Wimbledon College of Art (MA Drawing) in 2009. In 2014 she undertook a residency at Somerset House with The National Open Art Competition, after previous residencies at The Florence Trust and Chichester Cathedral in 2010. Recent exhibitions include Breese Little (2014, 2015), The Discerning Eye at the Mall Galleries, London (2014), The Library of Lost Books at Birmingham City Library (2013), The Florence Trust (2011), Minas Installation, Art Amsterdam, Galerie Ramakers (2010) and Jerwood Drawing Prize (2008). Freya’s work is in the collections of The British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Edinburgh College of Art, The Royal Scottish Academy, Chichester Cathedral, West Dean College, Convento de São Francisco, and Glasgow Airport.
