Meat Market #1
London’s abundance of regenerating spaces provides plenty of non-white-walled opportunities for nomadic curators to try to make their show stand out. But it’s a tricky balancing act. One smart choice in an old Port Authority building at Surrey Docks might lead to your own TLA and fortunes made. Most never get much more than their mum liking the Instagram. That doesn’t mean you should stop experimenting.
Curator Sophie Nowakowska — aka the @professional_art_bullshitter — isn’t shy with her thoughts on art. She’s drawn to work that’s disruptive, versus decorative. I guess it’s a bonus if it’s both? So with a lot of effort and a few fingers crossed, she curated a set of artists and invited them to “do whatever they wanted in an old butcher shop”. The location was key, and a lot of charm comes from exploring the Dickensian layout and decommissioned cold storage equipment scattered throughout the late-17th-century, Grade II listed building. But the really good news is that the ghostly smells of sawdust and blood that haunt the store aren’t the only thing that will outlast this show. Most of the work is strong enough to stand out elsewhere on its own.
Or slump, in the case of Hare by Abigail Norris (@abigailnorris000). It’s a macabre showcase piece that’s already been displayed in Mayfair and it’s worth bumping your head to see it here in the low ceilinged attic, even if you’ve seen it before. Similarly, Joanna Wierzbicka (@joanna_wierzbicka), Solanne Bernard (@solannebernard) and a few others also contributed works that visually fit right in with the butcher shop theme. Whereas Marc-Aurèle Debut (@marcaureledebut) chose to install a sex swing. It certainly has shock value, but it would be a disruptive piece literally anywhere. Maybe that’s why I preferred his ‘Pleasure Holes’ cushions, with porno-button inserts that look abstract until you’ll never un-see what you just saw. The slow reveal gives them a more powerful punch.
Most of the art was selected by the artists. Sophie told me that she only first saw some of the work when it arrived. It’s a bold curatorial move, but not an uncommon one. The power lies in how you handle what you get, and the hang makes smart use of the many small rooms and leftover butchers hooks. Novelty venues always run the risk of overpowering the art, and even here there are times when you’ll think you’re navigating a SAW-themed escape room. Fortunately, the tunnel-vision that the tight spaces create leads to some wonderful reveals and a-ha moments.
Like the giant green glowing sign by Sebastian Koseda (@sebkoseda) that un-welcomes you after you’ve successfully navigated a set of Machu Picchu steep stairs. The video by George Henry Longly (@ghl_pls) with a soothing trance soundtrack kept many people squished inside a small storage locker long enough to develop mild claustrophobia. And the opening displays, including an interactive one by Gabriel Mansfield (@GabrielJMansfield), have so many little details that I suspect Sophie will spot something new every day that she opens the doors.
Understandably, the more subtle works seemed to get less attention, at least from me. Josh C. Wright (@joshcwright) and Nikita Snegirjov (@room9experiment) are both doing incredibly interesting things, but slow art is hard to appreciate in an exhibition that very quickly sets expectations of exciting surprises around every corner. And though I’ve known about this show for quite some time, I was given very scant details. So I’m pleased that it’s more than delivered and is one I think worth revisiting, if only to see which pieces still impress after the initial sensory overload subsides. But what I’m most curious about is Meat Market #2 — the sequel coming in two weeks.
If you thought it was a bold move for Sophie to let her artists “do whatever they wanted” in this install, then get a load of this: For part two, she asked her artists to choose the next set, and she’s giving these new names the same free reign to choose what they bring to display. Whether that turns out to be a smart curatorial decision or one that means there’ll never be a Meat Market #3 is something we’ll all find out on 25th May. See you at the PV!
Plan your visit
‘Meat Market #1’ runs until 21 May
‘Meat Market #2’ runs from 25 May - 04 Jun
Venue location: 31 Tanners Hill, Deptford SE8 4PJ
Visit the project website for more info about the artists and to confirm opening days/times.
Visit professionalartbullshitter.com and follow @professional_art_bullshitter on Instagram for more information about the curator: Sophie Nowakowska
🖼️ Want more art? Visit the What’s On page to see a list of recommended shows, sorted by closing date. Don’t miss ‘em!