Five Hundred Dollars

Bilateria is a group show by emerging London-based artists Leah Lovett, Philip Ewe, Mary Ramsden, Adam Parkinson and the collective Charlesworth, Lewandowski and Mann. These artists work across various media, with pieces on show ranging from performance to painting; sculpture to text. However, irrespective of the medium used, the decision to conceal or omit information is at the heart of all the works. Ramsden obliterates marks by over-painting, layering her images and editing what can be seen and what must be imagined underneath the seemingly automatic movements of her brush. Lovett filters and transposes various truths, using material sourced from the web, theatrical devices and techniques from television reportage to create new stories. Ewe puts forward images that appear to be missing their key component, relying on the viewer to fill in the gaps and take on the role of the missing subject. Similarly, Parkinson anticipates his audience, imagining, as he does, the unmade works that are posed in discussions with his clairvoyant advisors. The idea of artworks as the outcome of a verbal exchange, is one which runs throughout the exhibition. This is manifest in the practice of Charlesworth, Lewandowski and Mann. Their sculpture, like all the work produced by this collective, will be born out of discussion. The structure will split the space from floor to ceiling, and this temporary wall will conceal and obscure its surroundings forming the final edit. The title of the show is taken from the latin name Bilateria Triploblastic, a group of organisms which possess bilateral symmetry, a mouth and an anus.