Perambulator (2010) by Ashleigh Beattie
Presented for Horizons Festival 2025
Perambulator, Rusty Pram frame, Zimbabwean dollar notes stitched lace.
Ashleigh Beattie was born in 1985 into a generation known as the ‘Born Free’ generation, five years after Zimbabwe got its independence from the British Government. Fast forward to the early 2000s and Zimbabwe’s economy spiralled out of control with high inflation leaving many of its people as the poorest millionaires in the world unable to buy a loaf of bread.
In 2010 Beattie returned home after studying Fine Art in the UK. To try and make sense of the drastic change, she salvaged her childhood pram and the hoards of bank notes that had been strewn around parks or stuffed into drawers.
As an attempt to ‘mend’ Beattie hand stitched the notes to create a cover that sits over the old rusty pram. By merging the old rusty pram that promised new life and the devalued dollars that shattered a nation, Beattie makes reference to the uncomfortable truth of loss. This piece is a lament for the past and a longing for what could have been. Although Perambulator was made in direct response to Zimbabwe’s economic woes it speaks universally of the uncertainty of many of the world’s economies.
The viewer is invited to contemplate their own humanity as they consider the fragile nature of life.
Visit Perambulator exhibited in the ground floor foyer at HOME until Mon 30 Jun.
This project is exhibited at HOME for Horizons Festival. Horizons Festival 2025 runs at HOME Fri 13 June – Sun 15 Jun, as part of Refugee Week UK.
To see the full Horizons Festival programme, visit this link.
About Ashleigh Beattie
Zimbabwean artist Ashleigh Beattie explores narratives of displacement and belonging, as an artist living in the diaspora. Beattie navigates these themes through drawing, print, sculpture and installation.
Repurposing everyday materials that are embedded with meaning and memories are central to her work. This repurposing characterises her practice and draws from her childhood in Zimbabwe, where nothing is thrown away - everything is repurposed.
For more information about the artist visit https://www.ashleighbeattie.com/or follow on social media @ashleigh_beattie_art
