This summer group show celebrates the multidisciplinary and rich variety of materials employed by artists in their practices. Shifting from natural to human made materials, Change of Matter presents a selection of artists from different generations and nationalities, who all share a peculiar way of using material in their works; all the artists are engaged in changing their initial meaning and everyday use by the re-evaluation of matter.
Looking back at art history art movements such as Arte Povera in Italy or Anti-form in the US, there is a pattern of the unconventional exploration of non-traditional processes and everyday materials, both industrial and organic. Moreover, the theoretical concept of ‘deconstruction’ was first used by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1970s asserting that there does not exist one singular intrinsic meaning in a work, but rather a plethora of layers, that are often conflicting. This conflict and tension will be present in many of the works in the show, as each piece will have multiple readings and understandings, according to the perception of each individual.
By decomposing and deconstructing common object, the artworks in this show will mutate, change meanings, creating new stories and narratives. The show will present a selection of works by a wide range of Latin American artists, some of them showing in the UK for the first time; together with international ones, creating dialogues within their cultures and traditions.
Over ten different materials can be found across the works in the show, such as: Rodrigo Sassi’s pigmented concrete, which inspired by the urban city escape; Jack Burton’s cardboard frames, Dalila Goncalves’ paper tickets, Laurence Owen’s ceramic where the boundaries between sculpture and painting become blurred; Renata De Bonis’ wooden books on Modernist architecture, James Hillman’s steel tubes, Marie Orensanz’s drawings on marble, Jose Carlos Martinat’s resin walls deconstructions, Ricardo Alcaide’s photocollages, and Ishmael Randall Weeks’ material stratifications that allude to geological cuts. The exhibition reflects on the language of materials and it aims to deconstruct aspects of the everyday life through art in order to pay attention to detail and have a better understanding of the urban environment.
Ricardo Alcaide, Tete de Alencar, Renata de Bonis, Alberto Borea, Jack Burton, Patricia Camet, Carla Chaim, Marcos Chaves, Ignacio Gatica, Dalila Gonçalves, James Hillman, Sophia Loeb, Jose Carlos Martinat, Theo Mercier, Marie Orensanz, Fernando Otero, Laurence Owen, Daniel de Paula, Tulio Pinto, Ishmael Randall Weeks, Rodrigo Sassi, Lucas Simoes