PRESS RELEASE
For almost ten years Natalie Meyjes was a principal dancer and soloist with the San Francisco ballet. Her activities since would seem to be a complete change of direction: constructing and decorating boxes and filling them with intricately arranged collections of found objects. But, peering into one of these creations (rarely bigger than a brief-case), is an experience similar to being at the theatre during the magical few seconds as the lights go down, the curtains rise and the stage is revealed. One feels there might be beetle-sized ballerinas, just out of sight. Like many of the great nineteenth century ballets, there is a dark edge to the entrancing beauty of Natalie Meyjes boxes: in a recent work, the legs and talons of an owl hang, almost comically, in front of a glass medicine cabinet. In both cases the make-believe and magic is both sparkling and whimsical but also, on occasions, macabre and sinister. There is a powerful grandeur and theatricality to Natalie Meyjes' boxes, in spite of their diminutive size. Time seems suspended, drama imminent. Inspired by the experiments of Joseph Cornell in a similar vein, and 20th century poetry, particularly Anna Akmatova and the Faber circle, her upcoming exhibition, titled 'Heroic Poets', is based on a 1933 poem by Stephen Spender: "I Think Continually of Those Who Were Truly Great". One of boxes in the exhibition was inspired by, and is dedicated to, John Peel who died so suddenly and regrettably a year ago this October. Natalie Meyjes is as beguiling and theatrical as her work. She lives in a creatively productive relationship with her film director husband Menno Meyjes, who has written for and collaborated with Steven Spielberg, and whose next film - 'Martian Child' starring John Cusack and Angelica Houston is due out soon. Please click here to view Natalie Meyjes's paintings For further information please contact Sarah Long or Tom Juneau at the gallery, 020 7834 1434 or email gallery@long-and-ryle.com
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