Exhibition
Aaron Wells: Relentless Optimism, a Moment of Blindness Before and After the Dark Space
25 Sep 2015 – 18 Oct 2015
Event times
Thursday to Sunday 1pm to 6pm
Address
- 44 Bonner Road
- Bethnal Green
- London
- E2 9JS
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Bus: D3 & 309
- Underground: Bethnal Green
- Train: Cambridge Heath
Relentless Optimism, a Moment of Blindness Before and After the Dark Space, is an exhibition of new film work by Aaron Wells (Chelsea Studio Award).
About
Using collaged filmic material from a diverse collection of found audio-visual footage, as well as specific material recorded by the artist, the resulting film works interrogate what it is to exist in a place, whether that place be physically real, digital or imagined.
This investigation is paired with an interest in the social and cultural aspects of the disparate imagery that is manipulated on screen, material taken from a range of sources: from virtual tour videos and advertising, to intimate shots of sites with historical and personal significance to the artist.
The exhibition deals with themes of allegory, passivity and unfounded optimism, exploring problems attached to the contemporary fantasy of ‘the good life,’ while simultaneously critiquing the essential state of living within the present.
The Chelsea Studio Award is a partnership funded by Chelsea College of Art & Design, Chelsea Arts Club Trust and Acme Studios. It offers a Chelsea College Fine Art BA graduate a rent-free studio for 12 months plus a stipend, and in addition mentoring and exhibiting opportunities. It is one of Acme’s growing number of studio awards managed under its Residency & Awards Programme, aimed specifically at recent graduates.
