KATY KING

ARTIST STATEMENT

The work explores the tactile nature of charcoal, a medium that affords a broad range of textures, tonal depth, and intricate detail. Through a monochromatic palette, the drawing explores a fictitious landscape where delicate flowers and organic forms advance into the foreground. These elements are in a liminal state, poised between growth and decay, suggesting the passage of time and fragility of life. The space they inhabit is intentionally ambiguous, neither entirely grounded or abstract. Intricate layers and textured embellishments as well as the underlying crack of an abyss, introduce depth and complexity, imbuing the composition with a quiet tension.

The process-led drawing depicts a scene of growth and evolution, reflecting the technique through which the drawing was developed over months, evolving via repetitive mark-making, erasure and a gradual expansion in scale. The slow crafting of the drawing evokes the natural cycles of blooming, while simultaneously suggesting a fictionalised growth of floral forms within a darkened landscape. This allows the work to operate as an evocative meditation on ecological fragility, evoking the precarious state of ecosystems in the face of ongoing climate instability.

In the Time of Anthesis, 2025 , Charcoal on Paper.