Tessa Farmer

Tessa Farmer is based in London. Her work is in collections worldwide, including those of the Saatchi Gallery, London and The Ashmolean, Oxford. She is one of the artists featured in Charles Saatchi’s new exhibition, Newspeak: British Art Now (2009).

For Extraordinary Measures, Farmer has installed a sculptural battle scene in the Grotto which responds to the current conflict in Northumberland and the rest of the country between the ever-increasing population of American grey squirrels and the now-at-risk indigenous red.

The Den of Iniquity is an animated film in the kennels showing a dark depiction of Tessa's skeletal fairies and their insect friends.

Malevolent Fairies

Tessa explains a little more about her exhibits which will delight and thrill younger visitors: ‘The fairies are highly-evolved parasites,’ Farmer says, ‘and they are adapting the grey squirrels. But the greys will be benefiting.’ Deep within the Quarry Garden at Belsay, Farmer has created a sculptural battle scene between the ‘alliance’ of fairies and grey squirrels’ and other local animals including moles, mice and red squirrels. ‘The Quarry Garden seemed quite surreal and sinister,’ Farmer recalls, ‘as if creatures might be lurking in it. It had a darkness to it. I’ve always exhibited in a gallery setting so I’m excited that this work sits within its context.’

A note about Tessa Farmer's work:Tessa Farmer creates her scenes from natural materials which she finds. No animals or insects are harmed in the process. An animated film of Tessa's work will be on display in the Castle Kennels at Belsay while her Grey Squirrel scene features in the Quarry Garden

Artist's Website

Also of Interest

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
Extraordinary Measures