Exhibition openings in Lisson Grove, 23 May
20 May 2024
On Thursday 23 May, galleries across the Lisson Grove area open their new exhibitions. Click through below for further information on shows at Lisson Gallery, The Showroom, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, and Palmer Gallery.
Lisson Gallery, Bell Street
'Otobong Nkanga: We Come from Fire and Return to Fire'
24 May – 3 August
Opening: 23 May, 6–8pm
For her inaugural exhibition with Lisson Gallery, Otobong Nkanga presents new sculptural objects, tapestries and a sound installation, as well as wall-hung and floor-based works – combining materials as diverse as clay, rope, glass, wood, textiles, oils and herbs. As an evocation of natural environments, Nkanga incorporates the images and properties of various stones and minerals into a new, monumental carpet, while towers of raku-fired ceramics create intermittent forests of scorched tree trunks. For every suggestion of destruction – a parched or ruined landscape – there is also the possibility of hope and renewal in the same space – a pool of rejuvenative liquid, the scent of essential oils or a purifying powder.
Lisson Gallery, Lisson Street
Jack Pierson
24 May – 3 August
Opening: 23 May, 6–8pm
For his first exhibition in London in over 20 years, New York-based artist Jack Pierson presents a new series of works that explore our experience of love, kinship, celebration, poetry, youth, and identity. Pierson diverted from the path of documentary photographers that he studied with in Boston, and was instead drawn to punk-influenced performativity, embracing non-linear, spontaneous compilations that prioritise the expression of individual freedoms over existing narratives. He has since, through a multi-disciplinary practice, challenged conventional hierarchies by commingling mediums equally. Featuring his signature word sculptures, photographs, a large-scale new array, and a series of folded photographic works, a journey through the exhibition invites viewers into a world where narratives, intimate and autobiographical, interact with those distinctly universal and inclusive.
The Showroom, Penfold Street
'Coalescence: Sometime Later'
24 May – 6 July
Opening: 23 May, 6:30–8:30pm
The Showroom presents the latest site-responsive iteration of Coalesce, an evolving exhibition initiated by curator Paul O’Neill in 2003/4 at London Print Studio Gallery in collaboration with artists Jaime Gili, Eduardo Padilha and Kathrin Böhm.
On this occasion the exhibition, titled 'Coalescence: Sometime Later', is co-curated by Paul O’Neill at The Showroom with the participation of recurring artists Böhm, Gili and Padilha, who, together with newly commissioned artist George Storm Fletcher, intervene in the architecture of The Showroom to construct a collaborative environment for other artworks and performances.
Palmer Gallery, Hatton Street
'Land, Sea, Air'
featuring Carolina Aguirre, Kavitha Balasingham, Max Boyla, Shaan Bevan, Connie Harrison, Sean Savage Ferrari, Action Pyramid and Grace Woodcock
24 May – 13 July
Opening: 23 May, 6–9pm
'Land, Sea, Air' brings together a group of emerging artists whose work engages with ecology and the natural landscape. The selected artists are all interested in capturing the essence of our natural world, focusing on one (or any combination) of land, sea, and air. The title’s military connotations chime with the history of the Palmer Gallery building (which was once used as a factory in which parts for the Spitfire, Hurricanes and Lancaster Bombers were built during the Second World War), and alludes to the tensions between the natural and non-natural that is present in each of the artists’ work.
Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, Church Street
'Fishing the World'
Sophie Bouvier Ausländer
24 May – 29 June
Opening: 23 May, 6–9pm
For 'Fishing the World', as the title indicates, Sophie Bouvier Ausländer artist remains true to her exploration of our planet, showcasing pieces from her latest series entitled 'Call Me Ishmael', taking its name from the opening sentence of Melville's iconic novel Moby Dick.
