Strange Loop // Karanjit Panesar

About

Once in a museum, everything we know – and don’t know – about these things is cemented into place.

The strange loop paradox is found in stories of time travel and simulated reality. There is uncertainty about what comes first and what follows – what is above and what is below. Following the path leads you back to where you started.

The starting point for 'Strange Loop' has been a response to objects from the Museum of Croydon‘s collection. I was immediately drawn to some of the older objects in the collection. Due to their age, these artefacts conjure a sense of truth: we believe in and trust them. Who can argue with something ancient? I was interested in objects with ambiguous histories, or gaps in our understanding of them.

The exhibition’s focus point is a moving image work set between the store-room at the Museum and the artist’s studio in Leeds. The film is presented within an installation influenced by the layout of the Museum of Croydon, where visitors are encouraged to travel through in a loop.

'Strange Loop' is an attempt to overlap the different lives of the sculptural object, the prop, and the historical artefact. The exhibition builds on my interest in intersecting the spaces of production and presentation. The dialogue between content and its container, which can seen in the idea of the ‘behind-the-scenes’.

How is knowledge processed when given in the authoritative space of the museum compared to in an art gallery, or in film? Does the way in which we receive information impact our understanding of something?

The exhibition features two paintings loaned from the Museum of Croydon’s art collection – ‘An Egyptian’ by Franz Xavier Kosler, an Austrian ‘Orientalist’ painter; and ‘The Rehearsal’ by Edmund Blair Leighton, an English historical genre painter.

- Karanjit Panesar

// ABOUT KARANJIT PANESAR
Karanjit Panesar b. 1992, lives and works in Leeds.

Recent presentations of work include ‘THE WAY THINGS ARE’ [solo], arebyte Gallery, London (2018); ‘Gloopiness is slippery but not like an ocean’ [solo], Arnolfini, Bristol (2017); ‘eeeeeeeee’ [with lewdjaw], CBS Gallery, Liverpool (2017); ‘Allen Road Sculpture Park’, Artlicks Weekend, London (2017); ‘East Midlands Today’, 2 Queens, Leicester (2017); ‘NAWKI’, with 12o Collective, nationwide (2017).

Panesar is co-founder and director of east bristol contemporary, an artist-run initiative that counteracts the lack of showing spaces for emerging artists in Bristol and seeks to establish a unique and diverse programme of exhibitions and events.

// FREE EXHIBITION EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

➮ Free activity guides are available for families to explore the exhibition together. Pick up a physical copy at the gallery.

➮ Karanjit has produced a limited edition of 50 patches for the exhibition, priced at £4. Purchase them here!

➮ OPENING NIGHT // 21 March 5-9pm
Free & open to all with BYOB welcome.
➮ ARTISTS FEEDBACK // Led by Louise Ashcroft // 28 Mar 7-9pm
Free feedback session led by artist and current Fungus Press resident Louise Ashcroft.
➮ FAMILY ART FUN DAY // Fake it and Make it! // 30 Mar 11-1pm & 18 April 12-2pm
Come and build a story around a fake historic object for our made-up museum, then bring your story to life in our green screen
➮ GROUNDWERK 4.6 // Artist Websites // Led by Daniel Powell // 30 Mar 2:30-4pm
A look at how different approaches to maintaining an online presence can reflect and act as an extension of our practices.
➮ ARTISTS LUNCHTIME FEEDBACK // Led by Karanjit Panesar // 27 April 12-2pm
April’s free feedback session will be led by Karanjit Panesar.
➮ GROUNDWERK 5.1 // Accessible Art Language // Led by Sara Dziadik // 27 April 2:30-4pm
Work together to explore how to clearly communicate about your art and ideas in a way that is accessible and inclusive.

➮ CROYDON SCHOOL OF ART WORKSHOPS
Exclusively for Croydon School of Art students. Alice Channer on 24 April and Will Pham on 1 May. Contact holly@turf-projects
➮ SCHOOLS AND GROUP VISITS
We work closely with local partner schools, and all schools and groups are welcome to visit our exhibitions. Please book ahead to receive free resources and an intro to the exhibition. Contact sophie@turf-projects.com for more info.

The exhibition and events were made possible with the generous support of the Museum of Croydon, Arts Council England & Croydon Council.