Signs of Life / Every Thing Must Go!

Velorose

1 July - 1 September

For May Day 2022, Golden Lane and Barbican Estate residents collaborated to stage a community event, and were invited to create a protest placard, which might highlight a world emergency or crisis – or a more local issue affecting residents, such as the state of the estate itself. The results are both mixed and marvellous, and this exhibition displays evidence of the thought and effort, as well as the spontaneity and creativity, of the people from two neighbouring estates who participated that day to express what mattered to them then.

The exhibition also features the works of artists associated with this show, but deliberately eschews gallery and art-world convention by not identifying the maker of the artwork in favour of a sense of community; the show includes a ‘Spectres of Modernism’ banner – from the Golden Lane protest curated by Clare Carolin (including the work of Turner Prize-winning artists) – and papier-mâché creatures made for the original event by students and their teacher at the local Charterhouse Square School.

As one of the main themes to emerge from the May Day event was that of the War in Ukraine, Velorose has opted to strip the walls bare by auctioning off all available artworks in return for donations to Ukraine Funds as already supported by the Golden Lane Community Centre, with most placards available from as little as £10!

Exhibition Image: Peter Liversidge Studio, ‘Light a Lantern’ (2019); previously exhibited in ‘Sign Paintings for a Night at Whitechapel Gallery’ Monday 18 November, 2019.