Artist Statement – Jo Cope

The exhibition "No Woman Is an Island of Shoes" at Galerija Velenje responds to the current political climate and personal experiences of an artist living in the UK post Brexit. This European partnership has necessitated new ways of working which overcomes the bureaucracy of restricted movement of art, goods and people. The artworks are created as a direct response to the rise of far-right politics and attitudes in the UK and the responsibility felt by myself the artist to create works which are relevant, reflective and defiant.

This exhibition explores the concept of Britain as an island, with the paradoxical nature of an  ‘Island’  as both a symbol of peace and solitude and isolation and exclusion. It poses the question -Who do you want to share your island with?

The exhibition is divided into three main shoe related concepts.

Area 1 asks us to consider how we can harmoniously walk together in society. Walking devices for 1, 2 and 3 people encourage the audience to encounter individual, collective and opposing walking directions. The collective act of working together to turn a large walking circle becomes the ultimate act of solidarity.

Area 2 is about learning to share land, how we navigate our space whist considering others around us. The Static shoe forms which bind both feet, are visual representations of the feeling of being trapped in a place which no longer shares your values. This is a warning against a world where the restrictions posed upon others become the restrictions that will in turn bind you also.

Area 3 ‘Stop the Boat Shoes’, references the artists interest in fashion psychology, the boat shoe an example of how societal groups have style tribes or visual differences that we might hold prejudice towards or not fit into. The "Stop the Boats" campaign is one of many ways that migrants have been dehumanized, reducing them to secondary status compared to the vessels they travel in. The Weekly government statistics published of migrant arrivals lack context and empathy, emphasizing numbers over human stories, these abstract numbers from a week in 2025 are represented on the front of each shoe.

The work in this exhibition has been designed to be built onsite, transported digitally , and as soft items to travel with the artist. Creating this exhibition with Galerija Velenje has been a journey of communication, collaboration, and overcoming obstacles. We invite gallery visitors to complete the work with their own experiences and reflections, imagining the type of world that they want to live in.

Photography: Ksenija Mikor