Cathy de Monchaux

In her sculptures, Cathy de Monchaux often combines opposites. Hard and rough contrast with smooth and soft, as she places brass and steel against leather and velvet. The forms also work in opposition, dealing with themes of repulsion and attraction, with spikes or jagged edges providing contrast to sumptuous curves and padded surfaces. Her imagery is sexual, hinting at the bordello and all that it voluptuously implies.

In recent installations, De Monchaux has added ephemeral elements such as patterns of powder or dust, which appear as shadowy traces of her sculptural forms. These traces add a sense of history and of decay. De Monchaux has also produced a series of sculptural works based on battle– scenes between imaginary creatures, the magical aspect allowing the works to sit in any time of history: timeless.

Cathy de Monchaux was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1998. She had a major solo exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, and further exhibitions in New York in 1998–99. In 2002, De Monchaux exhibited in her Hoxton home, ‘at Home’, in collaboration with Vince Clark and Martyn Ware.

Courtesy of CASS Sculpture Foundation