Works made by Tamsin Relly across a range of media explore landscape in relation to political, economic and social power struggles. The erasure of wilderness environments and transformations caused by climate change are at the forefront of Relly’s research. She has, for instance, made work that responds to melting glaciers in the Arctic Circle, the displacement of animals in zoos and the construction of Las Vegas’s manmade oasis which has depleted nearby water sources.
Formally, her paintings are distinguished by their free, loose handling of oil paint. Relly’s process creates drips and semi-translucent areas upon her canvases. Her highly fluid approach relates to the changing nature of many landscapes across the globe. That her paintings of forests and forest-dwelling creatures have a fading, almost ethereal aesthetic, are indicative of a sense of irretrievable loss.
Relly, originally from South Africa, moved to London in 2009. She studied for an MA in Fine Art at City & Guilds of London Art School and graduated in 2011. The artist has exhibited her work extensively in solo and group exhibitions across South Africa and the UK. Her work is held in a variety of international collections in South Africa, Europe, North America and Australia.
