# 92
Peer Sessions @ Chisenhale Gallery
Notes
Chisenhale Gallery, London E3
chisenhale.org.uk
During Rindon Johnson's exhibition Law of Large Numbers: Our Selves at Chisenhale Gallery (6 Nov 2021 - 6 Feb 2022) and in response to the artist’s ongoing interest in the pedagogical framework of the ‘artist group crit’, a series of artist-led Chisenhale Crits were programmed over the course of his exhibition at Chisenhale Gallery.
Peer Sessions and esteemed guest peer artist Paul Maheke were invited to lead a Chisenhale Crit open to the public, discussing the work of two artists with the assembled group.
Prior to the event, artists were invited to submit their work to take part in the crit, with two artists selected by the Chisenhale team and Peer Sessions. Yukako Tanaka and Freddie Yauner were chosen to present their work for feedback.
Yukako Tanaka showed two films, 'Recalling the future' (2021, 15min) and the performance/projection 'Memory of Ghosts' (2022, 6 min). We discussed and dissected the works, revelling in their tender and intimate effects, and reflecting on the themes of aging, knowing the past, and the impossibility of deciphering memories.
Freddie Yauner showed a series of four large-scale watercolor paintings, and two painted text works created using pollen, titled 'Monoculture'. The discussion began with a reflection of the historical status of portraiture vs the domestic or parochial history of watercolour. This was juxtaposed with the status / political positions of the characters pictured, and the statements written in the text, raising questions of the artist's position and what message was being conveyed to an audience.
More about the artists
Yukako Tanaka is a Japanese artist based in London. Her recent works have been focused on the themes of existence and existing incorporating theories of philosophy and physics. "Derived from existence, my works also explore absence, invisible, and inaudible. Futhermore, my research and artwork aim to translate the beauty of evidence in science into the fine art context and to conduct cross-disciplinary research in fields such as philosophy, physics, geometry, and biology.
Freddie Yauner is a London based artist who works in painting, print and experimental photography. "My research into industrial agriculture’s environmental impact led me to pollen - this amazing life giving material that will be seen by future lifeforms as a marker for human mistakes and destruction.
I started collecting different forms of pollen and discovered its delicate and unpredictable colours. I decided to use it as pigment and started painting.
I create text works, painstakingly produced with pen and pollen ink, which catalogue my own journey in understanding this threat of environmental destruction. They cover a broad range of topics including reflections on family life, personal mottos, quotes and statistics charting the impact of agricultural progress."
