A far cry from the white cubed galleries of central London, the walls of Peckham’s 139 Copeland Road are pockmarked and peeling with paint, which is why it’s the perfect setting for upcoming group show Drawing a Blank. A disruption to normative modes of displaying art, made ever more poignant in that today marks the beginning Frieze, Drawing A Blank is without frills or fancy. It’s just a group of mates all exhibiting in the same derelict space, most of whom have never shown their art in public before. It’s all very makeshift and DIY, in fact it’s incredibly punk. The works themselves span a range of different media; there’s photography from Frank Lebon, graffitied t-shirts from singer stroke artist Orfeo T, and monochrome illustrations from Jack Marshall. “The artists involved are all very different,” says curator Ben Broome, “but they share similar attitudes when it comes to making art and showing art. The art is all personal to them – made first and foremost for themselves or for friends. This is the first time many of us have shown works in an exhibition setting, opening the works up to interpretation has been a big leap of faith.” If your bored of wanky art parties and paintings you think your five year old could have done, then head down the opening of Drawing a Blank tonight, where unpretentious art, a performance from Babeheaven, and spoken word poetry from James Messiah awaits you.
Drawing a Blank is showing at 139 Copeland Road from 12pm daily until 5pm on Sunday.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock