About
Over 15 years of collaboration, Topia and Gould have developed a cross-disciplinary practice centred on painted sculpture and drawing. They use humour and narrative to engage in dialogues about how our intimate connections with people and culture shape and distort our perceptions of reality. Their work explores the tensions between physical presence and digital existence.
Current work takes the form of painted additive reliefs that consider the varying effects of digital technology upon our attention. Initiated through imaginative drawings and then crafted from MDF, aluminium, and polymer clay, these materials are then painted in various styles, drawing inspiration from digital collages formed during the process. This component-based approach lends a slightly manufactured quality, reminiscent of vinyl graphics, medical models, and signage, yet retains a friendly, animated character. Recent pieces have been titled based on conversations with ChatGPT.
Topia and Gould meticulously handcraft, assemble, and paint their works, fostering a localised and intimate collaboration. This hands-on approach merges conscious and unconscious creative processes, allowing shared agency to interplay with spontaneity and chance, leading to new discoveries.
Artist couple Roxy Topia and Paddy Gould have been working together since 2008 and are based in Merseyside, UK. Periodically they collaborate with others, often on independent publications through their press Pink Sands Studio, founded in 2018. Their first UK institutional show, “Let Your Ideas Come Back As Children,” with Cormac Gould is currently on display at The Bluecoat in Liverpool.
Works available to purchase via the platform Gertrude