John Walter: Brexit Day in-conversation in wigs

About

The 31st of October is usually already a night filled with spook and fright, but this year we are in for a special Halloween treat with it being 'Brexit Day' (probably...?). That evening DKUK is hosting an informal in-conversation in wigs between artist John Walter and curator Gemma Lloyd. Offering context to Walter’s solo exhibition from a fresh perspective, expect to learn about the themes, theories and imagery present in his work and how that all connects to Brexit. 

There will also be the opportunity to ask questions and hear more about Walter’s practice and next steps, such as the public art commission Walter and Lloyd worked on as part of the Thames Tideway Tunnel project. Art, current affairs and chat about a Super Sewer – at the very least it will be a way to collectively lift spirits (and/or drain some sorrows). 

Drinks from 6:30pm. 
In-conversation from 7:00pm.

-

John Walter’s work focuses on how painting culture enables the spread of memes. His contribution to this discussion has been informed by a deep engagement with virology and genetics. His work crosses various regions of pictorial space, using forms that include drawing, painting and artist’s books, animation, moving image and Virtual Reality.

His hybrid approach to constructing new images grows out of a culture of collage and involves linking with other disciplines and developing new relationships between practitioners - something which was particularly notable with his touring projects Alien Sex Club (Ambika P3 and Homotopia Festival, 2015) - a ‘maze’ based on gay bath houses - and Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness (Hayward Curatorial Open, 2016) - a group exhibition which celebrated how art that is hand-made, deliberately clumsy and lo-fi could be used to explore issues including gender, identity, beauty and the body.