Stephanie Jane Burt expands her interest in the formation and representation of self in a site-specific exhibition exploring gender dynamics, social constructs and identity. Working with print, text, moving images and sculptural installations, she creates scenes that evoke film sets and fictional worlds, employing a visual vocabulary inspired by literature, film and material culture.

The non-linear narrative that unfurls across Esplanade Tunnel circles around its enigmatic female protagonist. Through intricate sculptures, poetic turns of phrase and glimpses of how the body moves and performs, we are invited to view this world through our protagonist's lens. Bodily behaviour and material culture—fashion, objects we own—carry political and social significance. Burt reflects on the body as a site where social norms and individual expression are constantly negotiated. The exhibition, titled Meshes and Teeth, touches upon the tensions between utility and destruction, support and control, inviting the viewer to consider the individual’s relationship with society and our surrounding environments. The exhibition offers spaces of affinity and contemplation while embracing the possibility of individual agency in forging new ways of moving forward.

In Conversation with the Artist

In this interview, Ge Xiaocong, Visual Arts Programmer at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, sits down with artist Stephanie Jane Burt in conversation about Meshes and Teeth, her new exhibition at Esplanade Tunnel.

Ge Xiaocong (GX) Many of your works are titled with names that evoke a sense of fiction and suspense. Could you share your thought process behind imbuing your works with the characters’ presence and identity?

Stephanie Jane Burt (SB): My initial research is rooted in literature. From there, my work takes shape, often manifesting through the language of sculpture. While I originally studied painting, I eventually transitioned into sculpture. The films and books that influenced me challenge traditional narrative structures, constructing an interior landscape through seemingly superficial details rather than a conventional beginning, middle and end. Alain Robbe-Grillet, who wrote the screenplay for Last Year at Marienbad (1961), creates an atmosphere where nothing explicitly happens, yet meaning emerges through meticulous descriptions of space and detail. His short story The Dressmakers’ Dummy exemplifies this approach, focusing on a table and the surrounding objects with such precision that the act of observation itself becomes almost voyeuristic—verging on unsettling. I was fascinated by how ordinary, everyday objects could be imbued with psychological weight. How does a simple table, something we encounter daily, transform into something ominous?

GX: Female authorship is a recurring theme in many of your works, such as 'Lux’s Frame' (2021), 'O Dear What Can the Matter Be' (2016), and 'What is the Current' (2020), among others. What aspects of these references do you aim to expose or emphasize through your reflections? How much presence do they occupy in your own work?

SB: Fiction allows me to translate these ideas and externalise them in a completely different form. It’s often said that writing fiction is, in some ways, writing non-fiction—the boundaries between reality and fabrication remain uncertain. That ambiguity is precisely what draws me to fiction and film. I’m particularly interested in how girlhood is constructed within environments that feel oppressive or restrained. This theme recurs in many of the films I’m drawn to, and it continues to be a fascination in my work. By referencing Lux’s Frame (2021), O Dear What Can the Matter Be (2016), and What is the Current (2020), I engage with female authorship not just as a subject, but as a mode of expression—examining how narratives of identity, constraint and agency are shaped and reshaped over time.

GX: You appear as the protagonist in your video work 'Circles and Squares' (WIP) (2022), which was screened as part of your presentation at Esplanade Tunnel. Would you consider this an autobiographical expression or is it more of a character roleplay?

SB: I consider it an autobiographical expression, but one that is deeply tied to the poem at the end of the show. It skims across themes of familiarity, kinship and memory, blending personal experience with broader reflections rather than being purely autobiographical or a straightforward act of roleplay.

GX: Your practice spans a wide range of mediums, including film, print, text and mixed-media assemblages. What drives you to explore these diverse forms? What factors influence your decision when choosing between them?

SB: I like to alternate between different mediums, viewing them through textures and visuals. Moving between 2D and 3D allows me to encapsulate different emotions while maintaining a consistent subject matter. This exhibition marks the first time I’ve incorporated text, and I really enjoyed the process of considering how to display it. It’s something I’d like to explore further in the future.

Meshes and Teeth was on view at Esplanade Tunnel from 16 Jan – 11 May 2025.