Former fashion designer
Nicole Farhi, CBE, has practiced as a sculptor since the 1980s, when she began her eponymous fashion label. Since retiring from the fashion industry, Farhi has dedicated herself full time to the medium, with her first solo exhibition taking place in 2019.
Clay busts have long been the focus of Farhi’s sculpture, and this new body of work on display at
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery includes twenty-five new hand-sculpted ceramic busts. All of the figures portrayed, spanning a history of 125 years, have a common experience – they have been wrongfully convicted. Honouring these victims of miscarriages of justice – the result of two years of research Farhi has undertaken – she preserves their stories and the impact they have had – such as the case of Timothy Evans, whose wrongful execution in 1950 for the murder of his wife and daughter eventually led to the abolishment of capital punishment in the UK.
This exhibition introduces new themes to Farhi’s evolving practice as a sculptor. Alongside the carefully crafted and handpainted new busts, Farhi has included archival materials and documentation related to each of the cases, often shocking and tragic accounts, restoring the humanity and individuality of these people, many of whom have been neglected by history.
