Céline Condorelli, with Ben Rivers and Jay Bernard: After Work

About

Condorelli’s exhibition at the South London Gallery will explore themes of labour, play and public space. In 2019 the South London Gallery commissioned Condorelli to create a playground for the nearby Elmington estate (one of three estates with which the South London Gallery has a long-standing relationship).  

The process of making this playground, titled Tools for Imagination, is the starting point for a reflection on the relationship between work and free-time, highlighting the hidden labour of the production of culture both inside and outside the gallery. The exhibition includes a film by Condorelli made in collaboration with artist and filmmaker Ben Rivers, a poem written and recited by poet Jay Bernard features on the film’s soundtrack. The installation also includes a sculpture which functions as seating from which to view the film, in keeping with Condorelli’s interest in support structures and forms of display. 

The exhibition will feature further work which relates to inspirations behind the project, specifically the work of Italian/Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi and Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck who, between 1947 and 1978, used play to transform public spaces in São Paulo and Amsterdam respectively. The exhibition on a whole will investigate the relationship between exhibition-making and public art, reflecting on the artist’s interest in connecting the gallery space with the world outside.