Viewing Monster Chetwynd: The Cat’s Whiskers

Monster Chetwynd, formerly known as Spartacus Chetwynd and Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, has established a cult following for her paintings, videos, installations and exuberant performance pieces, featuring handmade costumes, props and sets. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2012 and was awarded Tate Britain’s Winter Commission in 2018. Yes, those two giant slugs positioned outside Tate Britain were Chetwynd’s handiwork.

Now she’s enjoying a solo show at Sadie Coles HQ, which features a group of four handblown glass sculptures and a series of recent watercolours. Made in collaboration with highly skilled makers at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, the four colour-saturated sculptures reimagine episodes from the lives of two legendary Northumbrian saints whose tombs are located at the Galilee Chapel. The resulting vignettes teem with fantastical and surreal elements, ranging from winged satanic figures to giant squids, eels and sea urchins.

Shown alongside these sculptures are two groups of vibrant watercolours that represent an ongoing experimentation into the relationship between performance and painting. Look closely and you’ll see characters drawn directly from past performances as well as from her imagination. It’s the perfect mood booster on a grizzly December day!