Witch Dance

Occupying the gallery, Huddleston will reinterpret Mary Wigman’s 1914 Witch Dance. This project is a continuation of a body of work which explores Wigman’s German Expressionist choreography. Huddleston has already responded to this seminal piece of dance with a large wall painting, which drew upon the formal conventions of Art Nouveau and the Viennese Succession and was displayed in Sadler’s Wells last year. Witch Dance at Drawing Room will allow Huddleston to realise the performative potential of her previous project.

Focussing on the dramatic energy and the violence and eroticism of Wigman's choreography, Huddleston’s own troupe of female dancers at Drawing Room will explore Wigman’s 'Witch' in a contemporary context. Exploiting gesture and movement, the performance will depict acts of transformation and psychic power whilst questioning modes of female behaviour, self-display and contemporary representations of women. Huddleston’s costume designs, use of stagecraft techniques and handpainted mural of flora and fauna will heighten, reshape and ultimately transform the gallery space.

Donna Huddleston (b. 1970 Belfast, Ireland) was raised in Australia and now lives and works in London. She studied at the National School of Art and graduated in Stage Design at The National Institute for Dramatic Arts in Sydney. In 2010, Huddleston was nominated for the Jerwood Drawing Prize and is included in Phaidon's new Vitamin D2 – New Perspectives in Drawing. Huddleston has also recently collaborated with designer Stine Goya’s women’s wear collection. Solo exhibitions include Witch Dance at Sadler’s Wells, London (2012-13), Golden Hands, Concrete Café, Hayward Gallery (2008) and solo shows at Juliètte Jongma in Amsterdam (2006 and 2011).

Bookings for 10 or more people telephone the gallery for a group discount.