Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author from Sometimes I Think, Sometimes I Am (2007). Courtesy Tate Publishing
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) installation view. Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) installation view. Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Mother (installation view). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Son (installation view). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Son (detail). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Father (installation view). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Father (detail). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Daughter (installation view). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Daughter (detail). Photography Ellie Laycock
Sara Fanelli 6 Characters in Search of an Author (2009) The Little Girl and the Young Boy (detail). Photography Ellie Laycock

Sara Fanelli

29 April – 20 June 2009

“The subject matter of my work has often been derived from mythology, literature and theatre, explored more recently through my book “Sometimes I think, Sometimes I am”. I am now taking on the challenge of dealing with these same subjects through different media, including photography and the moving image, and presenting it all for the very first time within a gallery setting.”

Renowned illustrator Sara Fanelli cemented her reputation with a successful series of innovative books for children, creating amusing stories and engaging worlds that have enthralled a whole generation of new readers. Her work has recently moved into unexplored territories, publishing her first illustrated book for adults Sometimes I think, Sometimes I am with Tate, and now working with the Stanley Picker Gallery to invite audiences to physically inhabit her designs through an installation of collaged objects, drawing, photography, light and film.

As part of her Stanley Picker Fellowship, Fanelli has been collaborating with students from Kingston University’s Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture to help her translate her idiosyncratic aesthetic into a three-dimensional environment. Taking bold steps away from the more familiar two-dimensional world of the illustrator, Fanelli invites us to join her on a journey that promises to be every bit as enchanting and inspiring as her work for the printed page.