Mo Farquharson’s work is characterised
by its wit, its sharp observation and its technical competence. There are two
distinct bodies of work, which reflect the two very different worlds she
inhabits – a frenetic London existence and the remote countryside of
north-east Scotland. Her sculptures
are inspired by the urban world, in which she lives and show an incisive
understanding of everyday situations. She
is particularly interested in the dynamics of groups, a theme she has explored
over the past decade. This work is
exemplified by her Bus Stop series and, also the sculptures of London
Bridge, which depict the migration of people to and from work, but more
importantly they deal with alienation and detachment found in modern urban
society. This theme is further
developed in her crowd studies at football matches, race meetings and other
sporting events.
She was born in Scotland
and travels there frequently, her Scottish background informs the vocabulary of
her much admired animal sculptures. Wildlife
has always been a great love and much of her early work is devoted to her vivid
animal depictions. Her animal
sculpture has developed a narrative style over time.
Typical of this are a fantastic strutting sculpture entitled Secretary
Bird, and Talking Heads, showing life-sized giraffe heads.
The narrative trend is taken further, in works which marry figures and
animals. The Dog Walk series,
for example are pieces about city park life, in which the relationship between a
dog and its owner is acutely observed.
Farquharson’s sculpture is mainly bronze using the lost wax process of bronze casting. Sometimes she uses additional colour.
Studied Edward Gage, Sighthill, Edinburgh
Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art, Oxford
Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, USA
Elected Member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors 1995
She has exhibited widely in the United Kingdom. Commissions, both public and private, have varied widely in both scale and complexity and include two life-size coal miners which were presented to the town of Hamilton, Lanarkshire in 1996; a 4ft figure of John Lennon for HMV, 1996; an altarpiece for a private chapel and a site specific composition for a walled garden comprising three life-sized spaniels.
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