Email not displaying correctly? Unnatural-Natural History From Feathers to Folklore 19 July 2012 Images from www.flickr.com/photos/rwapress/sets/ For immediate release   An extraordinary Unnatural - Natural History opens at the RWA   Our natural world, majestic and mutated, is the source for artists featured in a groundbreaking new show at the Royal West of England Academy (RWA). Unnatural - Natural History is curated by Coates and Scarry.   Unnatural - Natural History, generously sponsored by IOP Publishing, part of the Institute of Physics, brings together an extraordinary group of international artists under one common theme. These are artists inspired by the natural world - its beauty - and its transformation from man’s impact on it.  This is a view of the world where humans do not dominate, where natural becomes unnatural. This is nature through the eye of science fiction, natural beings warped by environmental pressure.   World famous David LaChapelle is known internationally for his exceptional talent in combining a unique hyper-realistic aesthetic with profound social messages. LaChapelle “Concerning the Soul”, a chromogenic print, one of edition of five is part of the show.   Belgian born and bred ROA’s giant sketched greyscale animals bring wit, skill and art to the show, and ROA has been one of three key artists who have spent last week creating new works on the outside of the historic RWA building. Deedee Cheriel and graffiti artist CASE have also created eyecatching pieces. Deedee is famed for her modern folksy style, harking to her multicultural upbringing, and the hoardings outside the RWA are now desirable pieces in themselves.   Mexico born, Los Angeles-based painter Luis Sanchez is a beguiling and animated artist, who’s paintings are grim and sublime, realistic and idealistic. His two-dimensional works are often noted for his masterful use of trompe l’oeil, leaving viewers with the impression that he has used photography, collage or other techniques when he has only used a brush. His works seamlessly combine the old and new, and have an uncanny way of mixing architecture with the human form. Highly imaginative Fulvio Di Piazza creates whimsical paintings of anthropomorphized landscapes with an extraordinary level of detail and depth. Previous works have depicted lush woodland fantasies, revealing saturated forests filled with faces as distinct features emerge from hills, rocks and tree trunks, sprouting limbs in place of roots and branches. For the local and international artists exhibiting – some in the UK, or Bristol, for the first time – heightened environmental awareness has doubtlessly been influential in their work.  One of the exceptional artists in the show - Kate MccGwire, who uses a powerful and challenging medium creating otherworldly sculptural forms from feathers. Inspired by birds, water and the natural world,  MccGwire’s incredible feathered installations have been shown across the world, but it’s the first time the artist has been displayed in Bristol.   Corine Perier’s oil painting of surreal animals in desert landscapes are so beautifully executed that at first the viewer notices no anomaly. Look closer, and the supernatural mutation makes itself known. Italian Marco Mazzoni weaves a world based on Italian folklore of mystical women who seduce, bewitch, curse and cure, complementing Bristol-based Rose Sanderson, who has made a name for herself adorning stripped surfaces and battered books with exquisite butterflies and birds.   The full list of artists: Angela Singer, Geza Szollosi, Kate MccGwire, Nick Bright, Meryl Donahue, Natalie Shau, Patrick Haines, Karen Akester, Beth Carter, Jessica Joslin, Troy Abbott, Chantal Powell, Dean Melbourne, Susie MacMurray, Christopher Russell, Angela Lizon, Rose Sanderson, Pitch Tangpun, Nicole Etienne, Erik Sandberg, Marco Mazzoni, Deedee Cheriel, Heiko Muller, Corine Perier, Luis Sanchez, Christian rex Van Minnen, Scott G Brooks, Fulivio de Piazza, Laura Ball, Lyndsey Carr, Rupert Bathhurst, Ryan McLennan, ROA, CASE, Pure Evil, Xenz and David LaChapelle.   IOP Publishing IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is part of the Institute of Physics, a leading scientific society promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to support science through the activities of the Institute. Beyond the company’s core journals programme, high-value scientific information is made easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. IOP is focused on making the most of new technologies and continually improving electronic interfaces to make it easier for researchers to find exactly what they need, when they need it, in the format that suits them best. Go to http://ioppublishing.org/.   Unnatural – Natural History is at the RWA, Bristol from 13 July to 23 September. Entry is £5 full, £3 concession and free for under-16s. Visit rwa.org.ukor call 0117 973 5129.   www.coatesandscarry.com     www.rwa.org.uk Press: Abigail Stuart-Menteth 07855 526 550 or abigail@damsonpr.com The latest news and events from RWA. @absolutearts.com from this list | Forward to a friend | Update your profile Our mailing address is: Royal West of England Academy Queen's Road, Clifton Bristol, England BS8 1PX United Kingdom Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2012 Royal West of England Academy All rights reserved.