Exhibition
John Latour: Ghost Town
14 Jul 2023 – 22 Jul 2023
Regular hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- Closed
- Thursday
- 12:00 – 18:00
- Friday
- 12:00 – 18:00
- Saturday
- 12:00 – 18:00
- Sunday
- 12:00 – 18:00
Free admission
Address
- Unit 2B1, 9-15 Elthorne Road
- Entrance on Boothby Road
- London
England - N19 4AJ
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Tube: Bethnal Green
- Train: Cambridge Heath
Ghost Town explores the creative intersections between life, art and the paranormal imaginary through the presentation of new and recent works including modified photographs, maps from the otherworldly city of Ondon, and A Temporary Haunt for Wandering Spirits.
About
Ghost Town explores the creative intersections between life, art and the paranormal imaginary through the presentation of new and recent works including modified photographs, maps from the otherworldly city of Ondon, and A Temporary Haunt for Wandering Spirits.
Since the late 2000s, Latour has used vintage found photographs of unknown individuals, friends and family gatherings as source material in his art practice. Each photograph suggests a story, although the personal histories of the subjects have been lost over time. Latour applies flecks of white paint overtop these figures – further obscuring their presence while highlighting their absence. For Ghost Town, he uses a recent selection of modified snapshots that are mounted in pages taken from an old photo album.
Here, Latour also brings to light a series of vintage maps from this spirit-world capital of Ondon. Composed of a vast network of sprawling and anonymous streets, Ondon is one of the most unnavigable and ahistorical cities of its kind. Through the artist’s interventions, these maps extend into the space of the gallery at Five Years.
A Temporary Haunt for Wandering Spirits is inspired by the tradition of spirit cabinets. Like the original cabinets of the 19th century, this ephemeral construction is made from humble materials. Unlike the original cabinets that were used by mediums to focus their psychic powers, this site-specific installation serves as a way station for nomadic spirits destined to travel endlessly throughout the world.
John Latour is a Montreal-based visual artist.