Haricot Gallery is thrilled to present ‘Lady Fingers’ a solo presentation by Constance Read. 

 

A lady finger: Ladyfinger biscuits are a type of light, dry, sweet sponge cake, roughly finger- shaped, used as a key ingredient in many desserts like tiramisu and trifles. They are also known by other names, such as sponge fingers in British English and savoiardi in Italian. Their light texture comes from being made with whipped egg whites, and they are often soaked in coffee, syrup, or liqueur before use. 

 

Look around. Do you see lots of coloured lady fingers dotted around the room, pilled layer upon layer of other sweet treats. I spy a liquorice all sort over there, as much as I despise them. And perhaps a boiled sweet or maybe a cheeky chocolate finger too. This is what Read see’s when acknowledging her geometric abstract pieces. This particular series is formed of shapes piling into towers or perhaps totems if you will. The starting point always remains the same, looking at architecture in and around our city, exploring these delicious forms by looking at relationship with colour, scale, and negative space. 

 

Read is not focusing on filling the canvas, she emphasises the interplay between form and void, creating a balance, not only with space, but also with colour. Her use of flat, vibrant colours and precise, clean lines, in these geometric compositions reflect her background in graphic design. 

 

For Read, these works are to be enjoyed rather than dissected. She resists the impulse to over-analyse, creating instead as a way to escape the noise of the world and to find beauty in the small things around her. Her practice offers a moment of calm and contemplation, where form, colour, and composition come together in satisfying, reflective balance.