ArteFat (curator's pick) May 2019




30 May 2019 @Cookhouse Gallery
Chelsea College of Arts · London

collaborative project
Andréa Rocha · Peter Ibberson

curated by Pallavi Surana & Sofia Palacios

In our initial conversations with Andréa Rocha and Peter Ibberson, we discussed how a lot remains unsaid in the debates concerning the current socio-political climate. Bearing this in mind, we proposed them to create a body of work that explored this conjecture. They decided to do a collaborative piece, keeping the element of the absurd as the pivotal component of the work – the absurd being a merging point between their separate and distinct practices.

What unfolded of this creative effort was an odd, unexpected structure. In this exhibition, the absurd nature of the work stems from the presence of this large, intrusive construction inside the small gallery space. When entering the Cookhouse, the viewers are forced to confront the overwhelming object coaxing them to walk around it to grasp it in its entirety. The artefat of disproportionate size, stands in stark juxtaposition to the gallery space, making it an uneasy experience to navigate.

Through this structure the metaphor of the ‘elephant in the room’ is materialized. Rocha and Ibberson explore the meaning that is encompassed in this metaphorical idiom through the physical qualities of the artefat. The obstructive condition of the structure evokes the idea that there’s certain reluctant attitude in society when it comes to tackling existing socio-political urgencies.

︎ back to MAFA Unit 2