In-between spaces are rich territory for artists. For some, this involves exploring the domestic forms of doors and windows that might act as portals from one place to the next. Others examine the experience of living between locations. And many artists address the thin boundary that exists between the internal, psychological world and physical reality. For ‘A Place’, the summer exhibition of resident artists, designers, and jewellers at Lee McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation, the idea of transitional spaces takes centre stage.
The foundation, set up by the late British designer to support emerging talent, has become known for nurturing boundary pushing artists and makers, many of whom embrace McQueen’s creative subversion. Since its inception, the space has expanded to encompass studios in both Haggerston and Tottenham, both situated within classic London buildings: a former stables and a sprawling townhouse. ‘A Place’ is comprised of two exhibitions and special events throughout August and early September.
"We’re so excited about ‘A Place’; it’s double the artists and our longest running summer show since we started,” says Trino Verkade, chief executive of the Sarabande Foundation who worked closely with McQueen in his lifetime. “It’s a much-loved, annual event, and a brilliant place to discover the hottest talent and see lots of new work has been made especially, from oils and photography to sculpture and films.”
Koby Martin has just shown a solo exhibition in the Haggerston space. ‘Drunk Minds Speak of Sober Times’ included a series of paintings featuring window frames, looking out onto scenes of surreal chaos. His works will also be shown in the second half of ‘A Place’, with the window motif in particular speaking to the idea of a transformational space. “The windows in these pieces create a threshold between the viewer and the focal point; the uncertainty of the unknown, where public and private coalesce,” he says. “I use that as a steppingstone to invite the viewer to embrace their voyeuristic or Jungian shadow tendencies, whilst using the works as a substrate or vehicle for broadening perspectives. The voids, negative spaces and characters within my works serve as an opening for evoking conversation.”
Many artists at Sarabande explore the possibilities of technology, fusing experimental multi-media research with organic human experience. Matija Čop’s sculptures are shaped by the sound waves of orgasms and personal intimate moments, creating physical forms from the abstract reverberations of pleasure and connection. Lulu Wang uses 3D printing to explore the transformational quality of the body, presenting it as an ever-changing space that holds our identity. Her sculptures have an alien quality to them, informed by the movements of dancers and performers, translated through technology. Daniel the Gardener also emphasizes the hybrid potential of the body, applying his intricate paintings of plants and wildlife into permanent tattoos on skin. His plants find new life on the body, merging with the sentient human form.
These artists don’t merely explore the in-between as a theme, but weave it into their ways of making, celebrating the meeting points between art and design; the natural and technological; the space of the world and the space of the mind.
The Sarabande Summer Show runs until 7 September 2024
