SURGERY.GALLERY


SURGERY.GALLERY







Ismini Sigala Ismini Sigala Ismini Sigala



Ismini Sigala has worked in the VFX industry for years but has always been a real artist at heart. Recently she has discovered that she has a neurodiverse brain (ADHD). It all suddenly made clear sense why she was always drawn to many disciplinaries in the arts. Her work has had many forms from pastels and pencils to digital. During lockdown she has also discovered a newfound love in sonic explorations with ambient drone sounds that she combines with her video/vfx art online.

Opening takes place on March 16th from 6pm onwards.

instagram















Ellen Wilkinson Ellen Wilkinson Ellen Wilkinson



Ellen Wilkinson makes textiles that can be hung on a wall or draped around the body. Sitting between abstract art and functional design, her work questions the traditional notion that quilting and hand sewing belong only in domestic space.

In Ellen's practice, modernist influences are made softer: lines are wavy, grids are loose, geometry ripples. Collaging together cottons and linens she collects and repurposes, including picked-apart clothing, Ellen's quilts contain their materials’ histories, and through their laborious making, draw parallels with women's often hidden labours.

ellenwilkinson.co.uk
instagram















Christos Fanaras Christos Fanaras Christos Fanaras



Christos Fanaras had the first show at Surgery.Gallery when it opened three years ago.  We are excited to announce that he will be doing a second exhibition of new drawings showcasing his style of therapeutic doodling.   Christos Fanaras is also a practicing musician, currently a member of the psychedelic drone duo  Elephant House, and bass guitaist with  Tim Burgess.

instagram















Rupert Cole Rupert Cole Rupert Cole



This September we have an exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Rupert Cole, showing a small selection of works from his archive. They are the product of his ongoing ‘art apparatus’ concept. Within the apparatus, the works are subject to various uncontrolled external ‘political’ interventions, human, plant, animal, chemical etc. The apparatus then generates ‘quasi-art’ outputs. The results can be haphazard as is the extrapolation of any feeling or meaning. These experiments can sometimes appear garbled whilst also inferring the possibility of something profound.

Opening takes place on September 23rd from 6pm onwards.

www.rupertcole.com
instagram















Matt Macdonald Matt Macdonald Matt Macdonald



This August we will be showing an installation called 'Rufus's Workshop' by artist Matt Macdonald, taking the form of a large scale detailed drawing of the interior of a silversmith's workshop in East London belonging to his friend Rufus White. Inspiration has been drawn from his fascination with creative tools and machines, their form and function and their role in the production of culture.

instagram















Siobhan McAuley Siobhan McAuley Siobhan McAuley



In July we are displaying an installation called 'Suture' by Siobhán McAuley, which opens on Saturday the 1st.

I come from Ireland, a nation of storytellers; my work revolves around the retelling of memories, adventures, haphazard predicaments or failed attempts at doing nonsensical things. I create narratives void of a conventional beginning, middle and end - mapping micro-histories as a form of resistance against the homogenous mediated narratives encountered in today’s media-saturated world.

This site-specific installation is an exercise in accessing a memory that crosses thresholds between the domestic and the workspace, the personal and the professional, the father/daughter relationship. Growing up in West Cork, my father’s veterinary surgery was conveniently located adjacent to our sitting room, so if ever he needed a second pair of hands, help was always nearby.

This piece explores such memories, while also contemplating support in its various guises: What holds? What gives? How does one draw things together? What does support look and feel like? What merges? What emerges?

I graduated with a BA in Printmaking from Limerick School of Art and Design, and hold an MA from St. Martin’s School of Art. I recently completed the Turps Studio Painting Programme. I have participated in residencies at Cyprus College of Art (2021) and Cill Rialaig Residency Programme (2022). I was awarded an Arts Council Travel Award to West Africa in 1998.

www.siobhanmcauley.com
instagram











Marcin Filip Cybulski Marcin Filip Cybulski Marcin Filip Cybulski



In June we have an exhibition called ‘Haram' by artist Marcin Filip Cybulski, which opens on Saturday the 3rd.

'Haram' meaning forbidden transaction, unlawful activity

War

What I'm trying to convey is the contradiction between what is allowed and what is not; I'm exploring how we read the juxtaposition of flowers and a gun, and the formal arrangement of the image against the meaning of the objects in it. There is something terribly wrong with the image: something impermissible is happening. What is the dynamic between these irreconcilable objects?

Think of the bigger picture, of the world and its wars. We are disgusted by violence in all its forms; and yet we hear on the news that Ukraine will get more western weapons, and rightly or wrongly, one could feel a surge of secret relief. We abhor and we allow, within a single thought...

My installation “Haram” is based on five different images, containing symbols of both terrible wrong-doings and peace. I have mentioned Ukraine, however I don’t want to support one side of any conflict, I want a viewer to recognise the subject of war as something forbidden, that should not be allowed in any form…Haram.


Marcin Filip Cybulski was born in Poland Katowice in 1976 and has resided in London since 2006. Marcin originally trained and worked as a stained glass and glass maker for over 17 years. He was a studio assistant to artists such as Tomasz Tuszko and Danny Lane, until 2011, when he chose to study and become and independent artist. After a three year degree in Fine Art, he went on to complete an MA in Printmaking at Middlesex University in 2017. He then set up his own studio in 2018 in Willesden Green, London.

www.marcinfilipcybulski.com
instagram











Andrew Gordon Smith Andrew Gordon Smith Andrew Gordon Smith



In April we will be showing an exhibition of paintings called ‘Five Variations for a Public Window' by Andrew Gordon Smith.

These paintings, though they may appear highly wrought and complicated at first sight are in fact very simple in their intention. They are constructed from the interplay of basic forms - curves, circles and vertical and horizontal lines - with a limited group of colours. These are elements I have been working with now for a number of years, so I have acquired a certain familiarity with the ways in which they may interact to make a composition.

The circles are held in place by the verticals and horizontals, while the curves are pulled into spiral formations by the circles, creating varying tensions across the surface. By this means various impressions of solids and spaces come about, emphasised by colour.

These works have no real meaning beyond their appearance, yet it may seem that some recognisable subjects are being suggested. This comes about in the perception of the viewer, rather than being a specific intention. One of the characteristics of visual art is that unlike music it always tends towards depiction. To try and negate this tendency, which is natural to human perception, would be to limit the range of pictorial possibilities too much for my liking. Therefore any interpretation is welcome and is part of the experience. Of course really unwelcome or distracting associations need to be avoided!

If my main reference for these works is musical, that is still only an analogy. Still less is it a specific reference to any particular style. The term 'Variations' in the overall title is found in relation to many different types of music. If I have in mind Baroque or Classical that is merely a preference of my own, jazz and other forms of modern music are equally relevant.

Lastly I would say that the connections between these five paintings are not narrative. Although they do explore certain visual themes, the way in which these are developed is basically self-contained within each composition. Each painting can stand on its own and there are in fact more paintings in this group than I am showing here. They cannot be said to tell a story, and in that sense may properly be called 'variations'.

www.andrewgordonsmith.com
instagram











Rebekah Dean Rebekah Dean Rebekah Dean



In February we will be showing an installation called ‘Discharging Materials' by Rebekah Dean, whose recent artworks explore the combined materials of hay, flour, and water, questioning representations of the abject, and the body as site for transgenerational memory.

‘Discharging Materials’ presents a grid-like formation of a 164 recyclable paper plates each containing a mixture of dried hay, flour, and water. When wet, the mixture’s decaying properties are temporarily suspended, and the co-mingling of elements become like a living body, attracting flies and insects as it dries.

The installation acknowledges the relationship to the site’s previous history, as a Doctor’s Surgery, a location that laboured in the act and care of sustaining the living human body, and in its history of being the site of one of London’s largest plague pits dating back to the Black Death

Rebekah Dean is also the curator of the sculpture trail ‘The Sky is Moving Sideways’ previously funded by Arts Council England, and co-curator of ‘Mother’s Ruin’, an exhibition installed on the site of the World’s largest tidal mill at the House Mill Gallery in Bromley by Bow, East London.

instagram











Bjorn Hatleskog Bjorn Hatleskog Bjorn Hatleskog



In December the gallery is being turned into a conceptual launderette with an installation by  Bjørn Hatleskog called 'Five get into Washing Machines' featuring some infrared actuated spinning shoelages. Shoelage is an invented term describing a collage process using only pictures of footwear. In this instance all the shoes featured originate from a 1968 Freemans catalogue, coincidentally 1968 was also the year of Enid Blyton's death.

www.bjorn-hatleskog.com











Lisa McKendrick Lisa McKendrick Lisa McKendrick



This October we will be showing an exhibition of work by Lisa Ramirez McKendrick a multidisciplinary artist working as a painter, musician and synth creator. Her recent body of work SAINTS OF THE MACHINE explores the fascinating and perplexing interplay between distant landscapes, car parts and saint-like portraits which incorporate elements of weirdness. Using these elements she can catch the painting while it isn’t looking allowing an uncanny narrative to emerge.

Recently she exhibited her work at Gallery46, Red Door Studios and Stratosphere Beijing. She was awarded an artist commission as part of Nine Elms Advent Calendar Art Trail and was selected for ArtHelix - Life Interrupted. Previously her work was selected for Jerwood Contemporary Painters and Bow Arts Open. A collection of her paintings is currently on exhibition with Little Van Gogh in corporate spaces. Lisa is a London based artist of New Zealand and Mexican heritage.

www.lisamckendrick.co.uk
instagram










Jon Purnell Jon Purnell Jon Purnell



This August we have an exhibition of hairy paintings by Jon Purnell showcasing his hair on canvas works made with 100% human hair. Jon has also worked in video, performance, painting and drawing. He studied at St Martins School of Art and the University of East London. He has exhibited in a number of galleries including the Milton Keynes gallery, the Arnolfini in Bristol as well as London's Whitechapel art gallery. He has also made performances at the Tate Modern and the Royal Academy.

instagram











Inga Tillere Inga Tillere Inga Tillere



In July we have an exhibition by Inga Tillere a visual artist based in London working with photography, film and alternative photographic processes. Her recent work explores the way chemical processes occurring in plants interact with photographic emulsion, bringing together the medium of photography and her appreciation of the significance of the plant kingdom to human life, mythology and spirituality. Attached is the image representative of my work and a portrait (though I struggled with that one as I usually prefer to be on the other side of the camera!).

www.ingatillere.com
cargo collective
instagram











Petra Kovacs Petra Kovacs Petra Kovacs



In May we have an exhibition opening by Hungarian painter Petra Kovács.

May I Introduce Mafdet?

The paintings in Petra KOVÁCS' series depict the possibilities of the existences of a person known as Mafdet. Mafdet was conceived as created as a moveable puppet by KOVÁCS at the University of Hertfordshire during her Erasmus scholarship program in the fall semester of 2021–2022. Made completely of recycled materials, with the exception of her hair crown (hair extensions) and glass eyes. She gets her clothes from charity stores. Mafdet has a distinct personality and is called after the Egyptian goddess Mafdet, who was an early goddess of justice who delivered fast judgment and punishment.

Her project, which is continually expanding and growing, tries to examine and depict many elements of Mafdet's life, past, present, and not-so-distant future, via the use of diverse media. As a result, Mafdet's age is unknown, always changing, and its proper character depiction is difficult. Mafdet has the same issues as everyone else: traumas, desires, and challanges as you and me.

instagram
portfolio
mafdet's instagram











Jaime Valtierra Jaime Valtierra Jaime Valtierra



On February 26th we have an opening for an exhibition of neo-expressionist painting by Jaime Valtierra called 'Sunrise Weaver' showcasing his vivid and bold brushwork.


SUNRISE WEAVER

It does interlock, not willingly, it is a desire, not that you can make a picture of it. It is a quiet murmur, but the sound is not related to anything, it is a wave here and an error there. Then the error is the only thing that stands, the wave goes against a wall and dissolves and then there is nothing. It all begins again. The only thing to do is to remain open, to recognise something tumbling away from you, perhaps it is far away, just a dot in the distance. When you get there it might just be a speckle of dust, or a mirror, or a thing you can’t describe.

The thing to remember is to keep moving. Here or there. It is the same place. Listen, those two lines in the sky never actually meet. You think they do. But they don’t. They keep getting closer and closer but not even at the end they meet. There is possibly no end, not in this case. Still they do interlock, it must be a temporary mirage, an error of the eyes, a misfiring brain. Whatever it is, it takes place at intervals, when you work towards not getting there, when you forget it was even possible.

You must forget everything without forgetting to move, towards the thing without the meaning of the thing. Where is it? If I think about it, it is never there. If I don’t, it is nowhere to be found. If it was a little bell around a cat’s neck it would be easier. Unfortunately most things are not attached to a bell. A face has a voice, if I listen closely perhaps I could draw you in your sleep.

I was meant to be talking about painting here. Every time I sit to write I do about painting. A whole life dedicated to painting. Sometimes it does get a bit pointless. But it is the least pointless of all of the other things available. Oh yes, let me go back to the beginning of this text, towards nothing, towards a nest. The nest is something. You see, what I mean is: towards forgetting the idea of the nest. All ideas must be forgotten.

www.jaimevaltierra.com
aleph contemporary
instagram











John Franklin Higgins John Franklin Higgins John Franklin Higgins



For November, we have an exhibition by John Franklin Higgins whose work traverses sculpture painting and photography, emerging from an attention to the relationship between production, and the consumptive norms through which we process our information environment. His studio process embraces chance and humour, playing with the idea of artist as agent through which desire and meaning are materialised.

www.johnfranklinhiggins.com
instagram
facebook











Mary Yacoob Mary Yacoob Mary Yacoob



This September, we host a new installation by Mary Yacoob - metallic vinyl artworks inspired by diagrams of surgical instruments from the Wellcome Collection. Mysterious and biomorphic abstractions emerge from the visual legacy of the history of medicine.

www.mary-yacoob.com
instagram
twitter











E.L. Campbell E.L. Campbell E.L. Campbell



This August we are exhibiting a series of drawings by E.L Campbell. The work in the show is drawn from both the observation of natural forms and growth combined with intuitive drawing to create hybrid ambiguous images reflecting on light, space, fragility, movement and change.

www.elcam.weebly.com
instagram







Wojciech Rusin Wojciech Rusin Wojciech Rusin



In June we have an exhibition of Wojciech Rusin's 3D printed pipes. 3D printing technology reflects the surface of the mind, as in an alchemical laboratory the processes of chemicals, of material transmutation, reflect the processes of the alchemist’s mind. The spools of plastic are full of endless potential and can be transformed into ‘buckets’ or ‘jewels’ at any point. 3D printed plastic fuels the Deleuzian ‘desiring machine’.

www.wojciechrusin.com
pipe shoppe
instagram
twitter







Managing Expectations: Lockdown Easel Managing Expectations: Lockdown Easel Managing Expectations: Lockdown Easel



In April we have a new exhibition called 'Managing Expectations: Lockdown Easel', which will take the form of a collection of Oliver Baggott's small-scale anthropomorphic faux naïf abstractions and death stare-down phantascapes. All the paintings were created in a subterranean studio in the basement of a church on top of the Penton mound close to the rumoured location of Merlin's cave.

www.oliverbaggott.com
www.craterpress.co.uk
instagram







Wall (Disturbed Meditation) Wall (Disturbed Meditation) Wall (Disturbed Meditation)



The inaugural show at SURGERY.GALLERY will take place early December 2020 featuring an installation by Christos Fanaras called Wall (Disturbed Meditation). It started out as some therapeutic doodling on his kitchen wall which over a number of years grew to encompass a very large area. Recently during renovations builders tore the wall down, fortunately however Christos was able to rescue parts of the demolished wall.  What we have on display are the surviving pieces of plasterboard, with the accompanying doodles.  Christos Fanaras is also a accomplished musician; currently a member of the psychedelic drone duo Elephant House, as well as the bassist in Tim Burgess and Daniel O'Sullivan's groups.

elephant house
instagram
facebook







79a Pitfield Street



SURGERY.GALLERY is a pandemic friendly display window art gallery located in a former Doctor's Surgery on Pitfield Street in Hoxton, which is itself nestled atop one of London's largest plague pits dating back to the Black Death (1665-1666). All enquires should be sent to Bjørn Hatleskog.





     

SURGERY.GALLERY
79A Pitfield Street,
London,
N1 6BT,
UK.