'Stalker' is a powerful new sculpture from Manchester based artist Susie MacMurray whose work explores our human vulnerabilities by combining materials in extraordinary ways.

Shown for the first time for ‘Eye of the Collector’ at the impressive late Victorian neo Gothic mansion Two Temple Place, once owned by William Waldorf Astor, Stalker appears at first to be a dominant figure. Yet on closer scrutiny we wonder is she (or he) poised for fight or flight?

Encased in slivers of finely cut deer antlers which over the course of the past year have been tirelessly stitched by hand to cover a canvas corset and flowing skirt, ‘Stalker’ is adorned by an impressive set of antlers. But ‘Stalker’ is not a trophy, nor is she doing the stalking but rather protecting herself with a material most often used for combat or to show status but in MacMurray’s hands inverted to expose a vulnerable and delicate interior.

“If I’m brutally honest” MacMurray says “it’s a self-portrait. I’m building a protective shell in case I’m hurt by someone who I let get under my skin. I was first given the antlers for a commission I did at Attingham Park and have been using them on an off for a while now. However it was only recently when I experimented with slicing them up on the band saw that I realised how beautiful and intricate they are on the inside. For me they embody the human condition and I’ve been thinking a lot recently about that moment of quandary when we have to decide whether to advance or retreat. The danger and risk that our ancient ancestors took to hunt big beasts in fine balance with the necessity of survival and the essence of that enduring in our complex environment and the relationships we have today.”

Susie MacMurray is a British artist whose work includes drawing, sculpture and site-specific architectural installations. A former classical musician, she retrained as an artist, graduating with an MA in Fine Art in 2001. She lives in Manchester and has an international exhibition profile, showing regularly in the USA and Europe as well as in public institutions around the UK. Her work can be found in a number of prestigious museum and private collections and MacMurray has in August 2021 completed her most recent public commission ‘Witness’ at the National Justice Museum, Nottingham.