Peer Sessions No. 102 @ Chisenhale Gallery

Andrew Mottershead // Moza Al Mazrouei

7-9pm Mon 19th June 2023

Chisenhale Gallery, London E3
chisenhale.org.uk 

Notes

Canadian artist Lotus Laurie Kang, during In Cascades her current solo exhibition at Chisenhale Gallery, guest-facilitated this Chisenhale Crit with Peer Sessions, discussing the work of two artists with the assembled group.

Andrew Mottershead presented a number of works consisting of coloured lettering cut-out of cardboard and suspended across the room at height. The group were reminded of headlines, banners and posters, and there was some discussion about the choice of capital letters and the font trying to be 'neutral'. Consideration of the content of the phrases found them open to interpretation and difficult to pin down. This led to debate about language, and it's failure to communicate human sentiments, despite our ultimate reliance on it. 

Moza Al Mazrouei showed a recent film Paved in red; from colonial pavements to Martian potholes (which was missing its narration soundtrack). The group identified different film styles, including documentary style shots, combined with more lingering and abstract stills, especially in the second half. The discussion focussed on the post-colonial narratives of ore extraction that were shown, with some bringing up ideas of class and more nuanced kinds of exploitation (of people and nature) taking place in parts of England during colonial times. Many respondents commented on the audio, with the atmospheric soundtrack feeling dystopic to some.