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Black Cot & Latex Glove
A baby stands in a cot and stares back at the viewer. The cot both protects and imprisons. The sparse interior and the discarded latex glove on the floor suggest an institutional environment – perhaps a hospital. The baby, vulnerable yet defiant, was described by Rhys-James as having: “that ambivalent quality of looking old, bald red and wrinkly… as if it has seen everything”.
This is a portrait of the artist as a child, set in 1962 when she moved with her family to London from Australia. The kitsch textured wallpaper mimics that of the period, while the bars of the cot give a sense of imprisonment. Shani Rhys-James studied at Loughborough College of Arts and St Martins College of Art in London, where she was taught by Gillian Ayres.