Hang Me Out to Dry

Everything about being human is weird. We are weird, we do, say and think weird things and always have, the fact that we exist is weird, and I absolutely love that. My work is an appreciation of this, by presenting common objects and situations in uncommon and unexpected ways.

Over the past year, I have been working towards expanding these ideas to create surreal installations that the viewer can become immersed in. This exhibition is an amalgamation of these absurd, hyper-realistic installations.The scenarios explore absurdist takes on various aspects of human life, including body language, everyday activities and the things that can be found in our homes. By challenging expectations I encourage the viewer to open their mind and embrace the weird and wonderful aspects of the human experience, and hope that next time they come face to face with this situation they will view it differently and see the absurdity in it, and that it will make them smile.

The philosopher Albert Camus talks about the absurdity of human existence and the fact that we can think about it non stop and drive ourselves insane, or we can learn to embrace the absurd and live with it. I want to encourage the latter, as when the absurdity of life is embraced nothing seems so bad, and everything from reading a newspaper to watching TV is full of a bizarre and nonsensical beauty.

Phee Jefferies is a British multi-disciplinary artist based in Leeds. She graduated with a first class degree in Fine Art from Leeds Arts University in 2021, and has since taken part in exhibitions such as Leeds Artists Show at Leeds Art Gallery, Ones To Watch at Sunnybank Mills and the Brixton Art Prize.

This exhibition is able to take place thanks to funding from Leeds Inspired and in kind support from Assembly House.