Su Blackwell: Pathway of Crumbs

This November, Long & Ryle presents Pathway of Crumbs, a major new solo exhibition by Su Blackwell, one of Britain's most influential contemporary paper artists. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2003, her intricate sculptural worlds, cut directly from the pages of books, have become instantly recognisable and have influenced a generation of artists working across paper, installation and storytelling, even featuring on national curriculum. Spanning fourteen new sculptures, animations and installations, Pathway of Crumbs explores fairy tales, folklore, transformation and the natural world through works created exclusively from found books.The exhibition reflects on emotional renewal and creative freedom, subverting our understanding of folklore and fairytale, as literary influences including Angela Carter and Marina Warner did, and creating messages that deviate from fable, and into beacons of moral messaging. Books become both material and metaphor, carrying their own histories while being transformed into haunting sculptural landscapes illuminated from within. Blackwell's work is held in major public collections including the V&A, the Brontë Parsonage Museum and the Burns Museum, and her practice has extended beyond the gallery through commissions for the National Trust, Chatsworth House and Hide Restaurant. Blackwell truly is at the peak of her success, and Pathway of Crumbs offers a timely opportunity to witness an artists pioneering vision.