Chisenhale Gallery, London E3
chisenhale.org.uk

This Chisenhale Crit took place during Rory Pilgrim's exhibition pink & green (17 May 2024 - 21 July 2024) at Chisenhale Gallery, with guest responder artist Edward Thomasson facilitated by Peer Sessions (Kate Pickering and Charlotte Warne Thomas) to dicuss the work of two artists and elicit feedback from the assembled group.

Fran Copeman showed an installation and accompanying documentation of Folk Discourse, which consisted of a series of photocopied drawings on paper, collaged directly on the wall, and onto cut out boards, standing in front like stage flats and a 1mx1m square of artificial turf. A short audio clip of voices and incidental sound accompanied the installation. The conversation started off identifying who the protagonists might be, and attempting to unravel the narrative that seemed to be unfolding across the work, led principally by clues in the audio. THere was also much discussion about the theatricality of the work, due to the invitation to walk on the fake grass, and the theatre-style flats. 

Laisul Hoque showed a film titled The Purpose was to Document the Other Side; approx 15 mins. Shot at close range with a hand held camera, it documented conversations with the artist's mother on the occasion of her trip to visit her son in London. THe group felt the style of filming, hand held and with the camera constantly moving and often out of focus gave the film a disorientating feel, while the faithfulness of the audio/subtitles offered a tender and intimate portrait of the mother's life. Some felt it was a personal ode to the artists' mother, while others identified a more universal theme of womens'/mothers' work and unacknowledged domestic labour.

Fran Copeman is an artist currently living and working in London.

https://www.francopeman.co.uk/