EARTH EATERS
Private View: 24th September 2020 4-9pm
Exhibition runs: 25th September - 4th October 12-8pm
Curated by Cole Projects
Featuring: Sol Bailey-Barker, Natasha Bird, Charly Blackburn, Ebinum Brothers, William Cobbing, Kathryn Graham, Byzantia Harlow, Gregory Herbert, Timo Kube, Jane Lawson, Dunstan Low, Tasha Marks | AVM Curiosities, The Institute of Queer Ecology, Hannah Walton, Charlie Warde, Russell Webb, Trystan Williams, William York
Exhibition catalogue | Press Release
Private View: 24th September 2020 4-9pm
Exhibition runs: 25th September - 4th October 12-8pm
Curated by Cole Projects
Featuring: Sol Bailey-Barker, Natasha Bird, Charly Blackburn, Ebinum Brothers, William Cobbing, Kathryn Graham, Byzantia Harlow, Gregory Herbert, Timo Kube, Jane Lawson, Dunstan Low, Tasha Marks | AVM Curiosities, The Institute of Queer Ecology, Hannah Walton, Charlie Warde, Russell Webb, Trystan Williams, William York
Exhibition catalogue | Press Release
Having experienced the fallout from a global pandemic, we now know that we not only anticipated the exact situation we are in (see the film Contagion for Nostradamus like predictions), but we potentially could have had the vaccine for it by now. Those countries that prepared and handled it correctly, avoided death tolls that surpassed those of WW2 and international economic freefall. Why was it that we did not do something about our impending doom when we had all the warning signs? Will we now learn that lesson and take action against climate change - an outcome of which we cannot learn how to simply live alongside - and that we have known about since it was discovered in 1824 - when French physicist Joseph Fourier describes the Earth's natural "greenhouse effect"?
EARTH EATERS is an alternative name for the condition Geophagia - the practice in humans and animals of eating earth or more specifically the clay and mineral content within it. It is part of a larger eating disorder called Pica - the consumption of non nutritive substances such as clay, starch, ice and chalk. This behaviour is usually found in people that have underlying deficiencies (blood cells, haemoglobin or zinc). That said, Pica has been practiced since 400BC and has both positive and negative consequences. This exhibition will explore soil’s potential role in prevention of climate change, the artistic use of soil/earth as medium, and calls on us to readdress and promote the health of the vital substance that we take for granted.
One of the things that makes soil such a fundamental component of any climate change mitigation strategy is because it represents a long-term storage of carbon. With news that the permafrost (the frozen layer of soil that has underlain the Arctic tundra for millennia) is now starting to thaw, we are now able to excavate mammoths from their ancient graves, and the race between world leaders to exploit the vast untapped resources of the Arctic signifies our total rejection of warning signs which we cannot afford to ignore.
By exploring the relationships between philosophy and nature, the personal and the political, destruction and construction, and considering the distinction of non-human and human agents- the works in EARTH EATERS will question what is at stake in the ecological crises of the 21st century.
This will be navigated by blending diverse areas of expertise, including paintings, sculptures, videos and installations to challenge the conventional systems of classification, suggesting a worldview that strives to dislocate humans from their assumed position of centrality and superiority as knowers and actors in the world.
Design by @greatjobwelldone
PRESS:
Elephant Magazine - FAD Magazine - Islington Gazette - Creators Station (in Japanese)
EVENTS:
EARTH EATERS is an alternative name for the condition Geophagia - the practice in humans and animals of eating earth or more specifically the clay and mineral content within it. It is part of a larger eating disorder called Pica - the consumption of non nutritive substances such as clay, starch, ice and chalk. This behaviour is usually found in people that have underlying deficiencies (blood cells, haemoglobin or zinc). That said, Pica has been practiced since 400BC and has both positive and negative consequences. This exhibition will explore soil’s potential role in prevention of climate change, the artistic use of soil/earth as medium, and calls on us to readdress and promote the health of the vital substance that we take for granted.
One of the things that makes soil such a fundamental component of any climate change mitigation strategy is because it represents a long-term storage of carbon. With news that the permafrost (the frozen layer of soil that has underlain the Arctic tundra for millennia) is now starting to thaw, we are now able to excavate mammoths from their ancient graves, and the race between world leaders to exploit the vast untapped resources of the Arctic signifies our total rejection of warning signs which we cannot afford to ignore.
By exploring the relationships between philosophy and nature, the personal and the political, destruction and construction, and considering the distinction of non-human and human agents- the works in EARTH EATERS will question what is at stake in the ecological crises of the 21st century.
This will be navigated by blending diverse areas of expertise, including paintings, sculptures, videos and installations to challenge the conventional systems of classification, suggesting a worldview that strives to dislocate humans from their assumed position of centrality and superiority as knowers and actors in the world.
Design by @greatjobwelldone
PRESS:
Elephant Magazine - FAD Magazine - Islington Gazette - Creators Station (in Japanese)
EVENTS:
Intro to botanical dyeing Workshop with textile artist Zuzana Krskova
Intro to botanical dyeing - discover how to make plant based dyes to create natural colours on textiles
Sat 3rd October 2-4pm & 4.30-6.30pm
As part of the EARTH EATERS exhibition, HOXTON 253 and Cole Projects are pleased to invite you to an afternoon workshop with textile artist Zuzana Krskova.
Workshop includes:
• a short walk in the neighbourhood identifying seasonal dye plants
• discussion about the practice of using natural dyes for textiles
• have a go at solar dyeing - please bring a clean glass jar with you
• time to assemble a small sample sheet at the gallery to take away with you
• EARTH EATERS exhibition tour
• a complimentary Petrichor cocktail designed for the exhibition
Workshop includes:
• a short walk in the neighbourhood identifying seasonal dye plants
• discussion about the practice of using natural dyes for textiles
• have a go at solar dyeing - please bring a clean glass jar with you
• time to assemble a small sample sheet at the gallery to take away with you
• EARTH EATERS exhibition tour
• a complimentary Petrichor cocktail designed for the exhibition
About us:
HOXTON 253 is an artist-run gallery and project space, providing a cultural event space in the heart of Hoxton. Our aim is to use art to act as a cultural bridge between national and international artists as well as within the local community, bringing established and newcomer local residents in the area together. We run a diverse program of exhibitions, experimental projects, workshops, events and screenings. Through our community outreach projects we also aim to provide culturally valuable creative activities to both the younger and older generations. We nurture local, national and international creative talents, provide accessible exhibition space, and build a community of artists and visitors with the objective to provoke critical dialogue within contemporary culture and society. Our doors are open to all, and for the purpose of accessibility our programs are primarily free of charge.
Cole Projects is a London based curatorial platform that discovers and exhibits international emerging and mid-career artists. Drawing upon over a decade of art market experience in managing private art collections and blue chip contemporary art galleries, they present some of the most exciting talent today. Bringing them together in immersive exhibitions held in innovative off-site spaces - often working collaboratively with galleries around the world and abandoned spaces.
HOXTON 253 is an artist-run gallery and project space, providing a cultural event space in the heart of Hoxton. Our aim is to use art to act as a cultural bridge between national and international artists as well as within the local community, bringing established and newcomer local residents in the area together. We run a diverse program of exhibitions, experimental projects, workshops, events and screenings. Through our community outreach projects we also aim to provide culturally valuable creative activities to both the younger and older generations. We nurture local, national and international creative talents, provide accessible exhibition space, and build a community of artists and visitors with the objective to provoke critical dialogue within contemporary culture and society. Our doors are open to all, and for the purpose of accessibility our programs are primarily free of charge.
Cole Projects is a London based curatorial platform that discovers and exhibits international emerging and mid-career artists. Drawing upon over a decade of art market experience in managing private art collections and blue chip contemporary art galleries, they present some of the most exciting talent today. Bringing them together in immersive exhibitions held in innovative off-site spaces - often working collaboratively with galleries around the world and abandoned spaces.