‘Metamorphosis’ presents work by Natasha McDowell who creates painted and mixed media works as well as digitally manipulated images that serve to re-contextualize the former. Her practice is rooted in drawing and allowing forms to emerge naturally whilst meditating on, and filtering through, visible and sensory information. As a highly sensitive person, McDowell has come to depend on the creative process as a way to navigate a world which feels increasingly conflicting –a place of immense joy and anxiety-inducing instability. She believes that through art, we are able to steady ourselves enough to concisely embody an explorative, curious approach to living and experiencing. In this transient place, the human spirit is offered ample room for expansion and metamorphosis.

A guiding theme throughout her work is an interest in visual codes and how how these are interpreted are translated by an individual depending on their personal history and experience. Regardless of the context, perception is key. Be it the elusive, evolving patterns and systems of the plant world, or the ever-expanding visual vocabulary created by musicians/composers to illustrate or locate sound. There is something innately abstract about these modes of communication that leave much room for interpretation.