Camilla Bliss: Salvia Saliva

Salvia Saliva is inspired by medieval illustrations of herbal plants used to cure ailments. The plants are often drawn with human faces or fantastical anthropomorphic creatures embedded within them. 

The name ‘Salvia’ derives from the Latin salveo meaning ‘I heal’ or ‘I save’. This plant becomes a symbol of wellbeing and strength for winter, making sure we don’t wake up with a frog in our throat and a scratchy voice but are instead ready to join in the chorus of festivities. 

This is a kinetic work where the candle fuels the fan which spins the ‘frog spirits’ around the plant as a protective ritual of warding off coughs and sneezes through the winter months. 

Product Information

2024

Aluminium, plaster and Silver leaf. 

Approx. 25cm high x 10cm diameter

About the Artist

Camilla Bliss lives and works in London. Using a wide range of materials such as ceramics, glass and bronze, Bliss is interested in how we navigate the world through alternate states of being. Her work is playful, and she often creates characters which explore the transitory nature of these states. For Bliss, they act as deities or spirits, that build a relationship between the world we know and ruptured states between consciousness or the unfamiliar.

Bliss graduated from the Royal College of Art with a MA in sculpture in 2021. She received the Yorkshire Sculpture Park Graduate Award the same year and was shortlisted for the Ingram Prize and the Mark Tanner Sculpture award in 2022. Her work has been exhibited extensively including The Turner Contemporary, The Royal Academy, and the Saatchi Gallery. 

Collection and Shipping

This work is part of our 2024 Winter Fundraiser and will be available for collection or shipping from 14th - 20th December. Please note all items will be shipped via Royal Mail Tracked 24 unless stated otherwise.