UNHAPPINESS IS TREASON: 2 / SUPERFICIAL AUTHENTICITY…(POLITICS AT THE SURFACE)
GROUP SHOW. ARTISTS: HILARY LLOYD, HAMISH MORROW, JEMIMA STEHLI, AUGUST STEHLI RUSSELL. LOCATION: FILET LONDON DATE: 15/16 JULY 2022 (24 HOURS ONLY) CURATED BY: HAMISH MORROW INSTALL PHOTOGRAPH CREDIT: MARK BLOWER NON-PERFORMANCE/PERFORMANCE PHOTOGRAPH CREDIT: CHRISTA HOLKA ‘The moment the criterion of authenticity in art breaks down, the entire function of art is transformed. Its basis in ritual is replaced by a basis in another area of practice, namely, politics’ It is at the surfaces of commodity capitalism that the authentic is constructed in a process that conceals the very labour required to do so. The surface is an abstraction but can also be understood as a screen of projection, the primary site of experiential consumption in commodity capitalism. The surface therefore matters and is not without qualities, the surface is depth. The surface is the site of distinction and authenticity legible at a glance. It is a competition, the site of a war waged in the name of visibility and credibility. The surface is also an abstraction, a screen directed and dedicated towards the consumer and commodity circulation. Every surface communicates. It is at the surfaces of commodity capitalism that glamour weaves, very closely together, both aesthetics and economics as part of its central role in the logic of commodity capitalism. This brief, dynamic show brings together work that shows rather than tells and that is an exercise in the politics of superficial authenticity, in an attempt to forge potential affective connections and entanglements between the works of Hilary Lloyd, Jemima Stehli, Hamish Morrow and August Stehli Russell, as a means of foregrounding the politics embedded in the surfaces that each artist makes. LIST OF WORKS: 1 - Hamish Morrow Bill Sticking , 2022 5 x Mylar Banners. coloured mylar sheet, masking tape, household gloss paint. Work Dimensions: Variable Display Dimensions: Variable Unlimited Edition. Courtesy the Artist. Copyright the Artist. 2- August Stehli Russell The Blue Yellow Black Red , 2020 Painting. acrylic paint, graphite and coloured pencil on paper, artists frame. Framed Dimensions: W: 53,5cm H: 71cm Paper Size: W: 42cm H: 59,5cm Unique. Courtesy the Artist. Copyright the Artist. 3- Jemima Stehli / August Stehli Russell The Wild Garden , 2017-2020 Painted Photograph. acrylic paint on black and white silver gelatine handprint photograph, artist’s frame. Framed Dimensions: W: 158cm H: 200cm Paper Size: W: 142cm H: 183,5cm Unique. Courtesy the Artists. Copyright the Artists. 4- Hilary Lloyd & Hamish Morrow Two Hours in Denim (15th July, 6-8pm, 2022) One Trouser One Kilted Leg Jean One Shorts One Kilted Sleeve Shirt One Kilted Blouson Jacket One Kilted Cape One Kilted Front Labour Jacket One Kilted Skirt Work Dimensions: Variable Display Dimensions: Variable Unique. Courtesy the Artists. Copyright the Artists. 5- Hamish Morrow Contagious Bronze, 2018-2022, 'Glitter Beach' acrylic glitter. Work Dimensions: Variable Display Dimensions: Variable Unique Colour Edition. Courtesy the Artist. Copyright the Artist.