The latest Céline Condorelli exhibition at the Chisenhale Gallery came about as part of a project that pools resources from three well-respected London galleries: How to Work Together, organised between Chisenhale Gallery, The Showroom and Studio Voltaire.
It is representative of the current mood of collaboration between artists and art organisations at a time when creating work in London becomes an increasing financial challenge. Celine Condorelli's practice – which incorporates architecture and installation – is perfect for such a multivalent project. At its heart, Condorelli's work is political. She examines the structures that dictate the way in which people work together, but are simultaneously taken for granted to the extent that they appear invisible.
Condorelli is a collaborator in Eastside Projects, a Birmingham based art education collective that is one of many free alternative education initiatives springing up in the UK, such as AltMFA and School of the Damned in London. Another of Condorelli's long-term projects is Support Structure; an architectural project in collaboration with curator Gavin Wade which the artist describes as 'a space that is continuously reinvented by its users in relation to its context'.
How to Work Together is Condorelli's first solo exhibition in London. The installation makes oblique references to 19th century salon exhibitions, whose layout were modelled on domestic spaces. But here, every object has implied multiple uses; a makeshift workbench serves as an ersatz podium, for example. The installation is intended to guide the flow of visitors through the gallery space using a collection of objects that are all somewhere between furniture and infrastructure. It is a reflection of Condorelli's prevailing artistic concerns around the way that objects, from furniture to buildings themselves, affect the way that people interact.
It will be interesting to see the ongoing development of the How to Work Together programme. Celine Condorelli's contribution is at Chisenhale until 22 June.
What | Céline Condorelli, Chisenhale Gallery |
Where | Chisenhale gallery, 64 Chisenhale Rd , London, E3 5QZ | MAP |
Nearest tube | Bethnal Green (underground) |
When |
02 May 14 – 22 Jun 14, 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM |
Price | £Free |
Website | Click here for more information via Chisenhale Gallery |