A sense of disconnection with the environment is at the core of Roxy Russell's work. A detachment that she feels and observes on a daily basis: the way nature is artificially manipulated, the way trees planted in straight lines, the way only small designated areas are identified where plants can grow freely. Her work reflects questions about our relationship with the living, the cohabitation between human and non-human, the nature – culture dichotomy. How to connect better to plants?

Roxy's main medium is thread for sewing, crocheting and weaving, and other projects also take shape as installations of various materials, often natural elements. Her creative process is characterised by the repetition of a same action. This approach generates a better understanding of how materials react, familiarity of the repeated movement and awareness of her own body. A connection is established. The endurance and patience required imply slowness: a rhythm that contrasts with the pace of our daily lives. Different temporalities meet and merge creating a sense of continuity. 

Fascinated by the versatility of thread and textiles, Roxy is constantly exploring new techniques and processes. She chooses to use simple biodegradable materials, found and derived from nature: a limitation that pushes her to find more sustainable solutions to making art.

The tension produced by different contrasts is an integral part of Roxy's work: thread can be as fragile as strand of cotton and as strong as to bind two items together. Her work reflects the complexity of the situation, of the world we live in yet seems simple in conception. The topics Roxy chooses are serious yet her approach is poetic.

Roxy Russell was born in Edinburgh (Scotland) in 1988 and immigrated to Geneva (Switzerland) with her family in 1998. After graduating from the Valais School of Art (EDHEA, Sierre, Switzerland) in 2013, she travelled and participated in various exhibitions and residencies in Great Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Thailand and India. In 2019, she decided to move to Quebec (Canada) to pursue a master's degree in Visual Arts at Laval University that she completed in 2021. During her time in Canada, she took part in different events and exhibitions such as “Fresh Paint / New Construction” at Art Mur gallery in Montreal, “DE(S)CONNEXIONS” at Le Lobe in Chicoutimi and presented her solo exhibition “The Trees are Tired” in Québec. Roxy moved back to Europe in February 2022 and is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.