Abbas Akhavan: curtain call, variations on a folly

Chisenhale Gallery is pleased to present curtain call, variations on a folly, a new commission by Montréal-based artist Abbas Akhavan. Akhavan’s work ranges from context-specific installations to drawing, video, sculpture and performance. Paying close attention to the historical, societal and architectural structures of a given site, Akhavan uses a range of materials to examine spaces and species just outside the home, such as the garden, the backyard, and other domestic landscapes.

For his Chisenhale Gallery commission, Akhavan develops his ongoing research into the relationship between chroma key green screen technology and cob, an ancient building material made of subsoil, water and straw. A large chroma key green stage with an infinity wall fills the gallery and hosts a series of sculptures made of cob. The cob installation is built in the image of the colonnade that once approached the monumental Arch of Palmyra, a 2,000-year-old heritage site in Syria. The arch is thought to have been destroyed by Islamic State militants in 2015, and subsequently replicated in marble by the UK- and US-based Institute of Digital Archaeology using 3D imaging technology.

The chroma key green screen and cob used in the exhibition sit at opposite ends of the material spectrum. Cob is an organic, ancient form of construction, and chroma key compositing is one of the most ubiquitous visual effects tools used to construct digital images. Shifting perception through the manipulation of visual and sonic perspectives, Akhavan’s installation acts as a potential portal, where the green screen stage repositions the cob sculptures as placeholders that have the possibility to exist in any given space. 

A text has been painted on the roof of Chisenhale Gallery and Chisenhale Studios. Visible mostly to birds, drones, from aeroplanes and taller neighbouring buildings, large letters cover the entire roof reading: ‘CAT’S PAW’, an idiom derived from Jean de La Fontaine’s 1679 fable The Monkey and The Cat. The roof painting will fade with time, and the cob and timber used in the installation will be composted and repurposed after the exhibition.

Exhibition events:
As part of the commissioning process, a programme of talks and events has been devised in collaboration with Abbas Akhavan and runs throughout the duration of his exhibition.

Abbas Akhavan in conversation with Dan Hicks
Thursday, August 19, 7pm BST (in the gallery and online)
Abbas Akhavan is joined in conversation with Dan Hicks, Professor of Contemporary Archaeology at the University of Oxford, Curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, and a Fellow of St Cross College Oxford.

Emii Alrai leads workshops for young people
Saturday, September 4, 11:30am, and 2:30pm
Artist Emii Alrai leads two workshops for young artists aged 16–24.

Frederico Campagna leads a guided tour of the exhibition
Thursday, September 30, 7pm 
Theorist and author Federico Campagna presents a talk focusing on ruins as portals to other worlds.

Creative writing workshops with Laila Sumpton
Thursday, October 7, 6:30pm
Wednesday, October 13, 7pm BST (online)
Author, poet and educator Laila Sumpton hosts two creative writing workshops on the literary genre of fables and themes of authenticity and deceit.

Curator tour 
Sunday, October 10, 4pm 
Amy Jones, Assistant Curator at Chisenhale Gallery, leads a tour of Akhavan’s exhibition.

All events are free to attend, but booking is essential. Please visit chisenhale.eventbrite.co.uk. BSL interpretation for events at Chisenhale Gallery is available on request. Please contact max.jefcut@chisenhale.org.uk for further information. Please be advised that two weeks notice is required in order to confirm an interpreter. 

Artist biography:
Abbas Akhavan lives and works in Montréal. Solo exhibitions include the CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco (2019); Fogo Island Gallery, Fogo Island, (2019); Museum Villa Stuck, Munich (2017); FLORA ars+natura, Bogotá (2016) and Delfina Foundation, London (2012). Recent group exhibitions include the Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe (2021), Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool (2018); SALT Galata, Istanbul (2017); Sharjah Biennial 13, United Arab Emirates (2017); and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2016). Residencies include Fogo Island Arts, Fogo Island, Canada (2019, 2016, 2013); Atelier Calder, Saché, France (2017); and The Watermill Center, New York, USA (2011). He is the recipient of the Fellbach Triennial Award (2017); Sobey Art Award (2015); Abraaj Group Art Prize (2014); and the Berliner Kunstpreis (2012). 

Lead exhibition supporters: The London Community Foundation and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts

Headline Exhibition Supporters: Concrete Projects, Marie & Joe Donnelly, The Donald R Sobey Foundation and the Henry Moore Foundation. Produced with support from the Chisenhale Gallery Commissions Fund. ​​

Talks, Local and Online activities are programmed in conjunction with Abbas Akhavan’s exhibition, generously supported by Sarah Elson. 

Chisenhale Gallery
Registered charity number: 1026175