Connecting Worlds

Some artists within the exhibition explore how various societies respond to the influence of the western world, often with reference to their own cultural heritage. The paintings of Michael Armitage reflect on globalisation and its effect on cultural development in Africa. Armitage observes the loss of traditional and distinct belief systems within African society and how they are being replaced by a more western outlook on life. The paintings and drawings of Lucia Vera comment on the role and position of woman within Venezuelan society. Vera references idealised images of women from beer calendars as well as exploring women’s embrace of cosmetic enhancement in pursuit of an aesthetic ideal. Her still lifes question the passive consumption of the female body whilst drawing parallels with the tradition of goddess worship within contemporary and ancient Venezuelan culture.

Other artists use politicised imagery as a starting point from where they investigate and make sense of given histories. The Bohemians by Liz Murray is a series of photographic collages made using found imagery, sourced from second-hand bookstores and flea markets in the Czech Republic. The imagery, published during the Soviet occupation of the former Czechoslovakia, depicts an almost utopian state in which sport, industry, history and natural beauty are extolled. Her collage interventions, made by cutting and reversing circular sections of the images, reveal the verso or 'hidden' side. They project an unachievable dimension in which aspiration and representation become difficult to distinguish.  The series of drawings by Marisol Malatesta explore and comment on the hierarchies and the dynamics between groups. Malatesta appropriates and re-locates images found on the Internet to create scenarios that relate to ritualistic activities and ceremonies. The symbol of the mask plays an important role as it conceals the identity of the protagonists and reveals their alter ego. Her work crosses between the boundaries of fiction and reality and raises questions about society and the self as well as gender and ethnic stereotypes.

The interplay between collective and individual experience is investigated by other artists in the exhibition.
The works of paula roush engage notions of history, authorship and collective memory, related in particular, to the Portuguese dictatorship era.  Her Found Photo Foundation includes personal snapshots of government officials, family life and bureaucratic worker identity cards that unearth a period of collective amnesia and censorship that lasted until 1974.  In the People series, Frank Pudney depicts movements of crowds that share a common experience. He examines and tries to understand individuals’ experiences of the world, yet pulls back and sees them also as part of a larger social world. Reflecting on the limits of and tensions between individualism and collectivism, the works challenge the way we see ourselves and suggest that how we interact with others shapes and formulates our experience of society.

Part of See Think Different – a collaboration between Drawing Room and UBM.

Connecting Worlds is the fourth exhibition curated by Drawing Room in collaboration with UBM plc for the top floor of UBM’s London headquarters building. Now in its second year, See Think Different aims to promote and support emerging artists within a local – and global – company environment. During the exhibitions, Drawing Room curators and participating artists give lunch time talks, enabling UBM staff to gain further insight into the exhibition and find out more about the artists involved. This collaboration also trains an emerging curator, providing them with the opportunity to support the professional development of emerging artists within Southwark and to gain invaluable practical experience of working collaboratively with both Drawing Room and UBM.

Connecting Worlds is curated by Mairia Evripidou (UBM Curatorial Intern) & Jacqui McIntosh (Project Leader, Drawing Room)

Previous exhibitions:

Signs of the City – 8 April 2013 – 6 September 2013

Olivia Bax, Christopher Bond, Jack Brindley, Rob Chavasse, Marcus Cope, Freya Douglas-Morris, Benjamin Jenner

Material Matters – 2 October 2012 – 6 March 2013

Rebecca Ackroyd, Mauro Bonacino, Sarah Bridgland, Will Jarvis, Ben Long, Ben Newton, Keith Roberts, Lizi Sanchez​

Parallels of Latitude – 19 March 2012 – 21 September 2012

Jessie Bond, Ben Deakin, Pippa Gatty, Haruka Hashiguchi, Andy Jackson, Sam Messenger, Inês Rebelo