Low Entertainment

About

An art show for anyone who’s ever stifled a snort in a gallery, Low Entertainment will prod the often awkward relationship between contemporary art and hilarity through the work of 14 established and emerging artists willing to take the unserious seriously. Via airhorn-organs, Derek Akora impersonations and corporate meditation spaces, Low Entertainment plays with the expectations you have about humour in art. Because like all the best jokes, it’ll be better after a bit of explaining..

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The exhibition is the first public presentation of the Low Entertainment project, where the participating artists and curators meet and discuss questions, concerns and issues surrounding the topic. This is not the final stage in this process, it is a pause to publically reflect. Is art’s ‘meaning’ and intellectual importance is deemed more valuable than its hilarity? Are we trapped by a certain etiquette of spectatorship (polite, quiet, inspection and reflection); that demands a certain type of ‘respectful’ art? Why are you thinking about humour?

Our topic of ‘humour’ is broad and undefined. It is also not a guiding principle of most of the artists’ practices. As an element, as a device, a by-product, or dedicated approach, we feel that humour has been under-valued, and therefore simplified, ignored and not looked at closely enough. Now could be a ‘moment’ for seriously humorous art: it is cropping up in discussions. But these seem shallow or populist. We think it is time to give art and humour and its multifacets some serious attention.

The exhibition is accompanied by 'The Opening' and 'The Symposium', where invited guests from the art and comedy 'worlds' will perform, respond to, and critique the concept so far.