Artist’s Statement

Irma Irsara's work is influenced by an interest in environmental issues in a practice that embraces techniques as diverse as fibre art, stained glass bookmaking, print, video and installation. Within the context of the Anthropocene Epoch, where human activity has been the dominant influence in altering the geographical landscape, Irsara contemplates ideas of symbiosis as a strategy for human survival. The symbiosis of organic materials with ice is particularly significant. It is the moment when nature takes over and the artist becomes the observer of new forms.
Irsara's preoccupation with nature and the environment is partly due to her upbringing in the Italian Alps, her relationship with her grandfather who owned areas of protected forest and her ongoing passion for plants and eco systems - she also studied Country Care and Conservation at Capel Manor in North London. She explores ideas of aesthetics and fragility, looking at beauty both in terms of its ability to mask and mislead, and its power to persuade and promote ideas in a positive way.