The Forever Temporary

How do we name a place home when it feels forever temporary? Through soft sculptural works, woven texts and film, Nicolaas van de Lande & Lucía Scarselletta explore the tender threads of existing in precarious housing environments. Acknowledging the rise in temporary housing situations in Croydon and beyond, Nicolaas and Lucía address their shared experiences as property guardians through expanded sculptural works. 

Nicolaas shares large-scale work for the first time, and punctuates the gallery space with fleeting structures. He treats three-dimensional surfaces with oil paint to create soft curves and tactile surfaces. A new sculptural language emerges, inspired by colourful early-childhood depictions of safety and comfort. 

Lucía pairs found materials from buildings under construction with traditional embroidery techniques. Her textile sculptures invite us to reflect on how it feels to live in temporary accommodation. An accompanying short film asks; where is this state of endless ‘development’ leading? 

Hosted at Turf Projects, itself housed within a meanwhile-use retail unit, the exhibition questions the precarity not only individuals but whole communities are facing under our current systems.

What do these ‘temporary’ arrangements mean for us if they become our forever?

This exhibition is supported by Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England and Garfield Weston Foundation.