Not A Champagne Life

With a nod to the recent all-female exhibition in a male-run corporate space, Not a Champagne Life brings together the works of three emerging artists in a female-run independent gallery, and addresses the subjects of social order, gender equality and freedom of speech.

13 Pearson Street, London E2 8JD

Thursday 21 April to Sunday 1 May 2016
Wednesdays to Fridays: 10.30 am - 6pm
Saturdays: 4pm - 11pm
Sundays: 12 noon - 7pm

Private View: Thursday 21 April: 7pm - 9.30pm

Not a Champagne Life features three-dimensional works by Emma Elliott, Penelope Harrall and Ian Wolter, and makes reference to the luxury lifestyles enjoyed by a privileged minority compared to the increasing burden of austerity on the majority of people.

The selected works combine strong figurative and symbolic elements with performance, sound and movement while commenting on the hidden metaphor of each respective medium: Ian Wolter’s busts implying status and authority; the assumption of aesthetic beauty in bronze as illustrated by Emma Elliott; while the items of feminine care at the core of Penelope Harrall’s work are generally expected to be hidden from view.

The launch event and private view on 21 April will include a live performance by Penelope Harrall, and the exhibition will be closing with a panel discussion on the artists’ respective approach to themes of social and political relevance on May Day, a date of pre-Christian significance more recently observed as Labour Day across the world.

Emma Elliott's central concerns are the incongruous aspects of humanity. In her work she explores the relationships between the refined and the primitive, the physical and the spiritual, the influences of our pre-human past on present-day behaviour.

Penelope Harrall aims to expose key issues in our society we choose to ignore. She aims to scrutinise the objectification we witness everyday in the media and the humiliation we have all felt due to our 'imperfections'.

Ian Wolter is fascinated by the ways in which people edit their personal past, memories and justifications; how they connive to put their own interests ahead of society's; to make them fit their self-image or reputation.

For further information, photographs or interview requests please contact Meike Brunkhorst