Victoria McIntosh

About the Works

The Desserts of Discontent, cake I, 2023
found silverware, jelly mould, second-hand Spanx, knicker elastic, pearls, paint

The Desserts of Discontent, cake II, 2023
found silverware, jelly mould, second-hand Spanx, knicker elastic, lace, pearls, paint

The Desserts of Discontent, cake III, 2023
found silverware, second-hand Spanx, pearls paint

The Desserts of Discontent, cake IV, 2023
found silverware, second-hand Spanx, elastic, pearls, paint

Cake Slice 2023
found silverware, paint

Taking inspiration from the early illustrations found in Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book and Household Guide (1861), this series seeks to reconstruct the elaborate creations, not from sugar and spice, but from repurposed domestic silverware and second-hand Spanx.

The use of this body shaping control garment is a fitting material in the artist’s ongoing exploration of social expectations and ideals around body image and autonomy.

About Victoria McIntosh

Based in her hometown Ōtepoti/Dunedin, Victoria McIntosh stitches together contemporary jewellery, sculpture and assemblage. A collector by nature, she is drawn to objects that carry a sense of history, whether real or imagined. Her practice combines vintage textiles and metalware to explore ideas around adoption, body image and autonomy.

Victoria graduated from the Dunedin School of Art with a Diploma of Fine Art in printmaking in 1991 and again in 2005, with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Jewellery and Metalsmithing. She has exhibited throughout Aotearoa and abroad, including Schmuck, 2016. Her work is held in the collections of Te Papa Tongarewa, The Dowse Art Museum, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum, Tūhura Otago Museum and Uare Taoka o Hākena Hocken Collection.

https://www.victoriamcintosh.co.nz/

Image top: Victoria McIntosh, The Desserts of Discontent, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of the Artist