Hydrographics

This body of work was initiated for a solo show at MOSTYN Gallery, Wales, titled Zygotes and Confessions, which opened in November 2020. It marked a significant turning point in Hornby’s practice, whereby, following a decade in which he had explored ideas relating to the removal of authorship (and himself) from the work, he produced a body of work which was extremely personal in nature. This conceptual shift was marked by the arrival of a new process in his practice, namely that of dipping sculptures into liquefied images – the Hydrographic works were born.

The first body of Hydrographic works was started during lockdown, in the month Hornby turned forty. ‘It was also the month I split up with a long-term partner, commemorated the ten-year anniversary of my mother’s death, and the month my father forgot who I was – he has Alzheimer’s.’ With this series, Hornby decided, for the first time, to explore his personal identity using intimate and autobiographical narratives.

Since the Zygotes and Confessions exhibition, Hornby has been exploring new directions and ideas with this process.