Opening night: Friday 27th November, 6-9pm
Turf Projects are pleased to present ‘A Bestiary’, a new group exhibition exploring the representation of animals in art and the relationship between such pictures and their display location. Curated by Ed Hill and Sam Cotterell, the show takes inspiration from Cock and Bull Stories: A Picasso Bestiary, an exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s animal paintings shown at the Croydon Clocktower in 1995, which received more attention for its apparently incongruous Croydon location than for the work itself.
The exhibition brings together work from a group of contemporary artists in order to explore a number of apparent juxtapositions: between the great master and the city-suburb, nature and urbanity and medieval morals and contemporary myths. Featuring the work of various artists representing creatures and stories of both myth and reality, ‘A Bestiary’ explores the apparent juxtapositions of the urban bestiary, relating to both the 1995 show and the present. Challenging the former notion of the area as lacking in artistic content, the show also importantly represents the contribution of contemporary artists and organisations like Turf in encouraging the positive growth of Croydon’s art scene today.
Aaron Angell
John Arthur
Hattie Batten
Laura Bygrave
Sam Cotterell
Alex Crocker
Mike Davies
Sara Gillies
Rebecca Gould
David Harrison
Ed Hill
Paul Housley
Robert Lovejoy
Matthew Peers
Mark Scott-Wood
Ross Taylor
John Thole
Esme Toler
Joel Tomlin
Max Wade
Ben Westley Clarke
‘A Bestiary’ is presented within Turf Projects’ gallery & workspace on Keeley Road, Croydon, which opened in May 2015. The exhibition and events were made possible with the generous support of Arts Council England, Mayor of London & Centrale Shopping Centre, Croydon. A publication has been produced to coincide with the exhibition, along with various events including a family fun day & reading group.
All photos: Ollie Harrop