In the inky expanse where light dares not tread, there lies a kingdom, deep and uncharted. A world where shadow and silence convene beneath the waves, creatures unfathomable swim. With eyes like lanterns that gleam in the night, they flow in the currents of cold, endless streams of thoughts and hopes, fears and dreams. They are born of the dark, by nature’s own hand, imperfect and flawed. Some are like whispers, with tendrils that twirl, others like ghosts caught in an eternal swirl, some glow with a light that's soft, otherworldly; a spark that flickers in the great abyss’s cold world.

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Lesley Bodzy’s new body of work summons fantastical deep-sea creatures from the depths of our existential abyss. In ancient Greek philosophy, the concept of the abyss was often linked to the primordial chaos from which the cosmos emerged. A formless, infinite and dark expanse, representing both the origin and the potential for all existence. Kierkegaard spoke of the 'leap of faith' required to confront the abyss of uncertainty and despair inherent in human existence. Nietzsche famously warned that 'if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you,' suggesting a confrontation with the void could lead to a profound transformation. The abyss, in this sense, represents the endless play of signification and the inherent instability of language and identity from which the enigmatic and yet thoroughly beautiful creatures crafted by Bodzy, emerge.

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Conflating influences from the early biomorphic explorations of surrealism with the material experimentations of 1960s and 70s late modern pioneers like Lynda Benglis, Marisa Merz, and Heidi Bucher among others Bodzy explores the creative potential of a visceral material sensuality that engages both the viewer's tactile imagination and physical presence. In Bodzy’s work, surface, texture, and form are not merely visual elements but experiences that engage the viewer's sense of touch, bodily presence, and emotional response. Her manipulation of materials generates ambiguous and evocative objects that provoke, seduce, and challenge the viewer, highlighting the layered, complex nature of physical and emotional intimacy.

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Just as the ocean's depths are vast and largely uncharted, so too are the recesses of the human psyche. The mysterious and sometimes grotesque forms of Bodzy’s deep-sea creatures evoke a sense sublimity, confronting us with the limits of our understanding and control while inviting us to search for meaning and growth through personal evolution.

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