Shall we dance?

The surface tension and ugly/beauty trickery Bove invokes and subverts is much of her appeal. To witness her hulking works in the flesh – or, rather, metal – is a revelation. The nuanced, poetic and feminine qualities of her sculpture stand in stark contrast to the labour-intensive circumstances of their production.

"One thing about these works is that they contain a lot of force," says Bove, who chooses her words with care, as if executing dance steps. "But the resulting power you see can be very tender. I want the touch to appear very light and soft."