Celina Teague - Nature Interrupted
The bright colours and tropical motifs of the confetti filled imagery by Celina Teague instantly had me daydreaming about a warm beach holiday until… wait a minute…
Why does the toucan have human legs? (Image 1)
Is that pineapple chain smoking? (Images 1-2)
And where to even being with the flamingo, which has so much oddness that it wasn’t until my 3rd viewing that I’d noticed the feathers were actually nippled breasts. (Image 3)
What the heck is going on in these works?!
Teague lives in Portugal and her artistic training involved time in Mexico. That might explain the colour palette. The fact that she’s British might possibly explain the quirky surrealism. One thing I can definitely confirm is that her work has always been responsive to topical events.
Global warming and other environmental concerns, such as the prevalence of micro plastics now being found in practically everything, are obvious influences in this show. But it’s never entirely clear if the animals are in danger, or just disturbing.
Let’s face it: dystopian visions of a pollution-ravaged world no longer seem as far fetched as they once did. Maybe these hybrid freakimals with unexpected appendages appear passive and relaxed because they’ve been painted into the only world they’ve ever known.
The ambiguity of the imagery — and indeed whether or not anything is to be done about it — is reinforced via another recurring theme of the artist: ‘Armchair Activism’. (Images 5, 7)
Teague has said that ‘painting about these issues doesn’t feel like enough… most of the time, we still just sit back and watch what’s happening.’ Which is both apt and ironic, as I could sit and and stare at these wonderful works all day.
At Kristen Hjellegjerde (@kristinhjellegjerdegallery) until 04 Jun
Visit celinateague.com or follow @celinateague on Instagram for more info about the artist