Apocalypse by the Greek definition of the word means a revelation, or an unveiling of things not previously known. Driven by this concept, London-based artist James Ostrer’s latest body of work presents a powerfully intimate portrait of his evolving state of consciousness.
The artworks have been created during a residency at Melior Place in Bermondsey (Kristin Hjellegjerde gallery’s new space that will later be rebuilt as their new London home in 2021), and lead the viewer on a surreal, sensory journey through the building, and ultimately the artist’s mind.
Ostrer is well known for the extremities of his work whether that is being stitched into a pig’s face whilst stuffing it full of pizza or visiting brothels and having the prostitutes photograph him ‘anyway they want’. For Post Apoca-Lips the artist pushes against the confines of a gallery space by filling an entire building with bold, multi-dimensional artworks that stitch together ephemera from the past: casts of Ostrer’s teeth from when he was twelve, his mother’s cigarette butts and fur coats, huge animal horns, childhood toys, even a kitchen table top from an ex-girlfriend’s house, the list goes on.
These objects become hybrid, cartoonesque creatures that appear simultaneously familiar and strange, comforting and threatening. This is the fine line Ostrer treads as he explodes and reconstructs popular culture and everyday materials into a means of self-expression, while expanding the conversation of how we relate and why.
Ostrer’s art practise is one of self-interrogation and personal development which through acute creative sophistication and humour explores the wider emotional cadences of the human psyche.
| Duration | 20 September 2019 - 02 November 2019 |
| Times | Friday 12 - 5 pm Saturday 12 - 4 pm Or by appointment |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (Melior Place) |
| Address | Melior Place, 2 Melior place, London, SE1 3SZ |
| Contact | 4402088705225 / info@kristinhjellegjerde.com / https://kristinhjellegjerde.com |