Nicole Farhi: J'Accuse…!
My latest series, which covers important miscarriages of justice, is in some way the most personal and deeply felt of all. Here are the men and women to whom irrevocable wrong was done. The only thing anyone can now do is look them in the eye, see them plain, and hope to commit them to memory. I aim to help people not forget them, because not forgetting is the greatest service we can do.
Taking its name from J’Accuse…! — Émile Zola’s famous open letter that exposed the wrongful conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the exhibition comprises cast ciment fondu busts, each hand painted and depicting victims of miscarriages of justice across multiple countries around the world over the past 125 years.
J’Accuse…! invites us to consider the people behind these cases. Each bust offers a portrait of an individual who endured years, even decades, of wrongful imprisonment, some faced torture, some lost their lives.
Hand painted cast bronze editions of the busts are available to purchase. Part of the proceedings will go to APPEAL.org.uk
A celebrated designer turned full-time sculptor, Nicole Farhi CBE is widely known for her eponymous fashion brand but has dedicated the past two decades to her artistic practice. Having trained under Jean Gibson and Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, she has exhibited at Gainsborough’s House and The Harley Gallery. Farhi is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors.
