Nicolas Party transforms Modern Art Oxford into a theatrical set inhabited by a cast of large female heads
(Artdaily.org)

This winter, Modern Art Oxford presents a new commission by Swiss artist Nicolas Party (b. 1980, Lausanne, lives and works in Brussels and New York). Party transforms Modern Art Oxford’s Piper Gallery into a theatrical set inhabited by a cast of large female heads. Speakers is a contemporary monument and a response to what the artist perceives as the heavily masculine energy of Oxford’s architecture and academic histories. A key reference point is the set of carved stone busts that crown the railings of Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre (first sculpted for the site in 1662–83), known colloquially as ‘the heads of the emperors.’ The heads are unique, individually painted sculptures, dominating the physical space of the gallery at a height of two metres tall. The five sculptures produce an atmosphere of immersion and drama. Party has designed the heads to incorporate a soundscape which will offer up