East, London
Molly Erin McCarthy
Molly Erin McCarthy
Zabludowicz Collection"It's my intention for the works to provide a temporary moment of escapism, but I also hope that the viewer walks away feeling like they've seen a version of Cornwall that they have not necessarily seen before." —Julia Greenway in conversation with Molly Erin McCarthy Zabludowicz Collection is pleased to present an Invites exhibition by Plymouth-based artist Molly Erin McCarthy. McCarthy’s world-building practice responds to the landscape, folklore and history of Cornwall, materialising across an interactive game space, miniature dioramas and sculptural works. Transporting her viewers into a hybrid environment – one that combines a military apocalypse bunker and a spiritual shrine – McCarthy simulates an end-of-the-world outpost. The setting of a seaside shelter – a sublime, eerie scene consisting of sandbags, breeze blocks and military khaki parachute material – allows for a layered narrative to gradually unfold in front of the viewer. The installation extends from a newly developed interactive video game, in which the artist references reimagined landmarks and places in Cornwall and Plymouth. Drawing influence from open-world RPGs [role-playing games], McCarthy conceptualises a quest involving endless exploration in a 3D rendered environment. Working across both a physical and a digital universe, McCarthy uses world-building to intersect the mysticisms from the south-west with the techno dystopic aesthetics of the early 2000s. This unique collection of works uses geological forms, religious shrines, Celtic symbols and military power to prophesy a post-technological future. Molly Erin McCarthy (b. 1995, Devon, England) received an BA in Fine Art from Plymouth College of Art in 2020. Recent exhibitions include Before The Linyow Came, Give & Takeover Commission, Mirror, Plymouth (2022); Undercut, BAS9 Fringe Exhibition, Under, Plymouth (2022); The Back of Beyond, Polygon Palm, UK/online (2022); Digital Monsters, Solo Show, USA/online (2021); Paradigms, Look Again, Aberdeen (2021); Plymouth Contemporary, Karst And The Arts Institute, Plymouth (2021). Alongside her practice, Molly has worked with organisations such as Plymouth Art Weekender, Mirror, Karst Contemporary Arts and Camp.