About our exhibition
we [ breathe ] in the space between is an exhibition curated by seven MA Culture, Criticism and Curation students from Central Saint Martins at University of the Arts London. This amazing opportunity is our course’s final project and will take place at the Artists Studio Company (ASC) MIR Project space from 1st November – 17th November 2019.
we [ breathe ] in the space between is housed in a former police station in Rotherhithe, a South London docking area posed for major redevelopment as part of the Canada Water Masterplan. The space is currently occupied by Artists’ Studio Company, our hosts for this exhibition, who have custody of the building until its demolition. ASC studios is one of the largest affordable artist studio providers in the UK. The temporary nature of this site, and the uncomfortable position occupied by artists in the face of rapid gentrification, provide the loaded institutional context and impetus for this exhibition.
This exhibition presents new work by 12 London- and Hong Kong-based contemporary artists, we [ breathe ] in the space between responds to issues of in-betweenness, modernity, and urbanity. Traversing multiple disciplines, it includes artists working across sculpture, audio/visual and digital installation, performance and product design.
What does it mean to occupy the present moment, when the present is always changing? What does it mean to be forced to the peripheries, to always inhabit the in-between space? How can we operate within this position? Can we act? Can we dance? Can we laugh? Can we rise? Can we shout? Can we breathe in the space between?
Artworks are placed throughout the police station and its environs, and include an outdoor concrete sculpture , and an environmental intervention, developed in response to the curatorial team’s research. Other artworks use a variety of traditional and digital media to respond to urban redevelopment projects, scarcity of housing, escalating political demonstrations on the streets of Hong Kong, urban alienation, and the need for care and the human touch. we [ breathe ] in the space between seeks to question our state of constant flux.
A fully-illustrated digital publication, including new research, writing and artwork, accompanies this exhibition.
Why are we asking for money?
Due to our small exhibition budget awarded by our course, and the numerous artists which, we find ourselves in a position where (if we raise no extra money) we will be forced to restrain (if at all) how much we can pay our artists for the work they produce. We find this deeply uncomfortable.
This is why we would like to ask people who might care about similar issues to make small donations towards it. It would be amazing if we could get enough support to realise our vision for this project and artists we have come to care so much for. Though many of the artists are recent graduates, many of them have shown globally in venues including K11 and Para Site in Hong Kong; Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art, Beijing; OCAT, Shenzhen; Power Station of Art, Shanghai. Two of our artists are Bloomberg New Contemporaries.
For full biography and statement from artists, please visit https://inthespacebetween.co.uk/artists.
Please help us by contributing. Any amount, high or low, will be very much appreciated and go directly into the artist fees.
We are incredibly grateful to all who have contributed to this campaign so far!
Given that we are working with a limited budget, we will not be able to pay our artists if we don’t achieve our goal.