I went to the South London Gallery. First I saw the exhibition of work by Rita Keegan.
In Gallery 1 at the old Fire Station, is a large work bringing together several previous projects. There are 3 video displays replaying her old films Trophies Of Empire (1992), Rites Of Passage (1991), Outfit (1999) and a new one Somewhere Between There And Here (2021). These are arranged around a large and empty gown decorated with a patchwork of images. On the ground are items of food and more images, whilst hanging from the ceiling is a carousel of old sepia prints on plastic transparencies, many containing scenes from imperial history.
In Galley 2 are several images creating from collages and overlays, as well as straightforward painted portraits.
In Gallery 3 are some personal papers as well as more portraits and images of Keegan’s family life.
There is a book:
Over the section of the Gallery on the other side of the road, where it was the last day of another show:
I did not go in to the bigger parts of the exhibition in the Camberwell College itself, just the hall in the SLG.
Foreground: part of (Un) Becoming Monster(s) by John Sachpazis
That’s the best of my pictures. Not everything looks good when I check over them, mainly because they don’t fit in the frame well, and of course video installations have to be seen in their original form. The yellow pipework installation had a soundtrack of its own. I suppose the lazy middlebrow opinion is to scoff at “gimmicks” that “don’t work”, but actually the only one of these that underwhelmed is the charcoal-on-paper scroll poster by Kishwar Kiani, which struck me as a trite, highly commercial piece of work that could sell well to goths, emos, death metal fans as well as being serviceable for any half-baked “resistance” movement that isn’t clear what it wants to complain about. Untitled I could be the cover illustration for a book about women taking control of their household clutter; also I’m not sure about the state of that sleeping woman’s kitchen tiling. With Infinite Complacency is the item I would want to have on the front of a book by Reza Negrastani or related figures.
I went to have a look at the Copeland Gallery as well and found out that this is in progress in the vicinity:
Schoolchildren doing rapping to audiences in deckchairs whilst fancy cocktails are served near vegan world foods and beardy men talk about their bikes. Several artists works were on display in the Copeland Gallery, most interesting were these works by Tom Leighton. The Act Of Protection:
DiscontinuedNotes 