One can begin to explore the work of Polly Morgan as a contest between transformation and opinion, between flux and fixity. Directed by her interest in the craft and cunning of taxidermy, in the past Morgan had employed actual snake skins in her works. Now the artist prefers to cast her snakes and paint those casts directly via a combination of techniques that sees Morgan airbrush acrylic inks onto the cast, remove certain patches of that application and then paint those areas in oils. The finishing touch is provided by the iridescent powders, transfers and lacquers one usually associates with ‘nail art’. It’s a laborious process but one which affords a finer finish and which, of course, engenders an even more mesmerising dizzy of mimetic desire in both her object and its viewer.

Morgans sculptures, feature modified representations of animal parts, often snakes and birds, cast in polyurethane; a material that captures its source in the most granular fashion yet transforms what was a dry and brittle surface into one – born of unctuous, primordial goo – are now supple and silky to the touch.