Eleanor Osborne

Ails McGee on Eleanor Osborne, "We first saw Ellie's work at Islington's New Designers," says co-director Ails McGee,"My first response was: 'this is hilarious, it's cute'. And then I looked a little closer and felt a creepy chill. Ceramic bears, some with chains scooped through their noses, is always going to make a nation of animal lovers sit up and take notice. They're so well made, so confident, with such an instinct for showmanship and branding - there's only one image we used for New Visuality's fliers, posters, invites, and that's of one one of Ellie's bears." Says Eleanor, "My recent work looks at the issues behind the use of wild animals for entertainment. Dancing Bears are inspired by Indian dancing bears, many have now been rescued but they still suffer from the trauma of being forced to dance. These bears are often blind from malnutrition and have scars and infected wounds from the rope that is forced through their nose."