Artist Chloe Wells’ latest work, a lifesize Jesmonite sculpture of a woman entitled In Memoriam, is a project which started with Chloe’s own exploration of grief and mourning following the death of her sister Emily. Yet as In Memoriam grew, and the story of the project became public, so too did the sculpture’s connection to others with similar experiences of grief.
Chloe’s ambition is for In Memoriam to provide a public space for those in mourning to remember those they have loved and lost in an environment separate from their daily lives. Although inspired in her work by the Victorian memorials in her local West Norwood cemetery, it is not bound by religion or tradition and acts as a visual starting point in the discussion of death in the modern day.
Speaking of the inspiration for her work, Chloe observes that, “witnessing someone with such vitality, a marked presence and influence in my life, become so suddenly and permanently absent from it, altered my perception of life and death entirely. Something which struck me in particular, was how everyone felt the impact of her death except for Emily herself ― her demise belonged to everyone but her, yet it was something that isolated me from my peers and the outside world.”
In Memoriam is available for purchase, POA.
Chloe Wells is a freelance artist and sculptor from Margate, currently based in West Norwood. She is available for commissions and can be contacted at:
INSTAGRAM: @chloemaiwells
In Memoriam - Created by Chloe Wells, photographed by Inhui Park
