Billy Childish
dal 16/2/2010 al 17/4/2010
Segnalato da
16/2/2010
Billy Childish
ICA - Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
Unknowable but Certain. A gallery of the artist's recent paintings, including still lifes with flowers, self-portraits of the artist hill-walking, and works depicting the life and death of the modernist writer Robert Walser.
The ICA is proud to present a major solo exhibition by artist, musician and writer Billy Childish. The artist (who was born in 1959 in Chatham in Kent, where he still lives) is a cult figure with an international following, but this exhibition is the first occasion on which a public institution has attempted to encompass his extraordinary thirty-three year career.
The exhibition will include a gallery of the artist's recent paintings, including still lifes with flowers, self-portraits of the artist hill-walking, and works depicting the life and death of the modernist writer Robert Walser. Childish's paintings are highly expressionistic, conveying a sense of the visionary significance that he discovers in objects, places and people.
The exhibition will also contain an important archival component, including a multitude of records, books, pamphlets and posters that have been designed and produced by Childish. This material throws light on his long career, including his activities in rock and roll and poetry, and his role as a publisher and polemicist. It also demonstrates how his life and activities can be seen as a total work of art.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a number of events, including performances, readings and screenings featuring the artist and some of his many collaborators. It is being curated by Matthew Higgs (director, White Columns, New York) and Richard Birkett (curator, ICA), and will be staged concurrently with an exhibition of the artist's paintings at White Columns (5 March - 17 April 2010).
Image: Robert Walser Lying Dead in the Snow, 2008. Courtesy of the artist and L-13 Light Industrial Workshop, London
Press office contact details and press releases:
Natasha Plowright
Head of Press Direct Tel: 020 7766 1404 Email: natashap@ica.org.uk
Jennifer Byrne
Press and Communications Officer (Exhibitions, Talks, Music) Direct Tel: 020 7766 1407 Email: jenniferb@ica.org.uk
Opening 17 feb. 2010
ICA - Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Mall - London
Hours: 12noon–7pm, except Thursday 12noon–9pm.
Admission: free