Memsahib

Isla Burns

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Canadian [b. 1952]

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MEMSAHIB

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forged and welded steel and wood

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80.5 x 18 x 18 in. (204.5 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm)

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Exhibited: "Five Degrees of Separation", Art Gallery of Calgary (founded as the Muttart Public Art Gallery and now encompassed by Contemporary Calgary). This exhibition commemorated the gallery's 25th anniversary and ran from November 22, 2001 to January 26, 2002.

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Provenance: This sculpture was acquired directly from the artist.

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This work was inspired by a trip Isla Burns made to the island of Tinos (Cyclades, Greece), in early 2000. This beautiful island is renowned as a place of spiritual pilgrimage, in particular to the holy site of Panagia Megalochari (Our Lady of Great Grace). Burns was fascinated by the tall palm beside the church, topped with a small cluster of fronds. The welded steel �an�crowning the sculpture "Memsahib" incorporates her memory of this experience. The sculpture additionally includes personal elements that relate to the artist's life and Indian culture (Burns was born in Calcutta). Notably, the work �radles�part of a wooden crib from India, and the title references the term used to address "white" (or European) women in India.