CGP London: Exhibition Thumbnails - Mat Collishaw:
The End of Innocence.

Mat Collishaw:
The End of Innocence.

20 Apr - 27 May 2012

    

20 April – 27 May 2012

CGP London present the UK premiere of The End of Innocence by the celebrated British artist Mat Collishaw projected on a monumental scale within the cavernous raw space of Dilston Grove.

UPDATE To view a preview of The End of Innocence installed at Dilston Grove click HERE

The work presents CollishawÂ’s manipulated video reinterpretation of Francis Bacon’s appropriation of Velázquez’s ‘Pope Innocent X’.

In contrast to the steadfastness of Dilston Grove’s soaring concrete interior, The End of Innocence presents an ethereal image that is in a constant state of flux, oscillating between dissolving into rain-like shards of colour and returning, albeit momentarily, to a pixelated representation of Bacon’s work. The Pope’s presence in this former mission church is physically colossal but, ultimately, impermanent as his image ebbs and flows through Collishaw’s digital manipulations.

Recurring throughout Collishaw's oeuvre are themes such as stifled sexual desire, brutal and perverse lust, the power of media imagery and the concept of divinity. What is surprising, startling even, is the tenderness that is embodied within the work. Collishaw is interested in imagery’s effect on the subliminal, and explores this by making the vile desirable, the repulsive inviting, whilst discretely positioning himself within art-history through his reference to old masters and contemporary dialogues, such as in this work The End of Innocence.

The presentation of The End of Innocence in Bermondsey is a kind of artistic return for Mat Collishaw. He studied at Goldsmiths College and participated in both of the group exhibitions – Freeze and Modern Medicine – staged by Damien Hirst in the nearby Dockmaster’s Office and Peak Frean’s Biscuit Factory. Back then the only permanent gallery in the area was Cafe Gallery. Bermondsey today is very different, now there is a swathe of galleries concentrated in the area who were inspired by the example of Collishaw’s generation of artists.

The exhibition has been positively reviewed in the South London Art Map magazine, to view the review please click here.

Supported by the Paul and Louise Cooke Endowment and with special thanks to Blain|Southern.

Travel

Southwark Park is 7 minutes drive from Tower Bridge. There is free parking in the park.

Nearest tube station is Canada Water on the Jubilee and Overground Lines. Dilston grove is approximately 9 minutes walk away. Journey times: From Canary Wharf 3 mins, from Whitechapel 8 mins, from Waterloo 8 mins, from Hoxton 11 mins, from Green Park 13 mins. 

Buses travelling to Canada Water: 1, 47, 188, 199, 225, 381, 395, P12, C10. 

For taxis, ask the driver to take you to the Southwark Park Road entrance to Southwark Park. Enter the park and then take the first pathway on your right. Follow this pathway for 4 minutes until you see a large concrete (former church) building. This is Dilston Grove.

Mat Collishaw: Over the past decade, his work has been exhibited in numerous solo shows around the world, including: Cohen Gallery, New York (1992); Camden Arts Centre, London (1996); Duty Free Spirits, Lisson Gallery, London (1997); Galeria d’Arte Moderne, Bologna, Italy (1999); Museum of Contemporary Art, Warsaw (2000); Mat Collishaw, Art & Public, Geneva (2004); Shooting Stars, Haunch of Venison, London (2008); Hysteria, Freud Museum, London (2009); and Retrospectre, BFI Southbank, London (2010); Creation Condemned, Blain|Southern, London (2010).

Collishaw's monumental site-specific work, Magic Lantern, was commissioned by The Victoria & Albert Museum and was installed in the cupola above the entrance from November 2010 - April 2011. Within a ten-metre diameter, this large-scale 3D zoetrope work depicted animated moths dancing around a flame, and celebrated the museum's status as a beacon of culture, learning and knowledge which attracts people from around the globe. Both Thames & Hudson and Other Criteria have published books about Collishaw's art practice.

CGP London is financially assisted by Arts Council England and Southwark Council. Cafe Gallery is a modern purpose-built space comprising three interlinked 'white room' spaces and Dilston Grove is a Grade II listed building providing a cavernous raw space for large-scale installations and performance.

CGP London artist patrons: Ackroyd & Harvey, Andrew Kötting, Mike Nelson, Cornelia Parker, Iain Sinclair, Richard Wentworth, Richard Wilson.

CGP London patrons: Breckman & Company, Paul and Louise Cooke, Lord and Lady Stevenson.

The End of Innocence 20 April – 27 May 2012 Wednesday – Sunday 12 – 6pm.