Paradise Lost was presented as part of Celf Gallery’s annual Summer Exhibition. Represented by the gallery, Townsend exhibited the work alongside paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works by fellow gallery artists.
Created in collaboration with Cornell University, Paradise Lost takes the form of a red Gala apple created in beeswax collected from hives situated within a New York orchard. The work incorporates traces of pesticides present within the orchard environment, drawing attention to the often-hidden chemical histories embedded within contemporary food production.
Displayed within a glass vitrine and elevated on a plinth, the sculpture appeared as a small but striking presence amongst the larger works in the exhibition. The presentation highlighted the work’s themes of cultivation, contamination and ecological interdependence, with accompanying interpretation including details of the pesticides identified within the material.
Exhibiting the work at Celf Gallery provided an opportunity to present the project to Welsh audiences while continuing its development towards future international presentations.
Image © Celf Gallery