SUMMER MARATHON 2021
BEERS London’s annual Summer Marathon opens for its third year on 11 August. This year, 3 artists were selected by a jury of industry professionals including New York-based gallerist Yossi Milo and California-based gallerist Lorna York, and London collector Eugenio Re Rebaudengo, amongst others. We are so excited that this year our selection of artists come from a diverse range of backgrounds and education
Joël Bigaignon: Fluctuation of Momentary Memories
Joël’s paintings are a playful blend of paper collage on wood panel reflective of life growing up on the island of Mauritius. Later in life and further into his artistic career, Joël began making work based on his memories of the annual cyclones that destroyed his family home. So deep rooted in his DNA were these events – destruction and subsequent rebuilding of his home – Joël uses materials available such as old newspapers and wallpaper, gluing new on to old, layering images of politicians and policemen on top of both old and recent news stories. Collage fuelled Joël’s imagination in such a way that led to an obsession with the process as a means of exploring the topics of memory and unfolding stories.
JOEL BIGAIGNON (b. 1968 Curepipe, Mauritius) Joel is a self-taught artist currently living and working in Copenhagen, Denmark. Previous group shows have included Janus at Vestjylland Kunstmuseum in Demark (2016) and Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark (2016). Solo shows have been held at Galerie Teodora, Paris (2020) and Christina Stokkebro, Denmark (2009)
Gori Mora & Krzysztof Strzelecki: Mapping Desire
Poland and London-based ceramicist Krzysztof Strzelecki and Glasgow based painter Gori Mora join their independent artistic practices for a joint exhibition, entitled Mapping Desire. The exhibition is the first of four exhibitions commissioned for the Summer Marathon open call proposal.
Both artists challenge and subvert the concept of ‘Queer Art’ by presenting works that appear both domestic and/or traditional, but challenge and radicalize what we come to expect from more normative art forms.
Krzysztof’s early religious education in the religious backdrop of Poland helped form his passion for classic mythology, classical art, and a desire to subvert convention. The young artist plays with themes of eroticism and fantasy, issues concerning homosexuality, liberation, and acceptance within society. His collection of vases playfully and wryly present the gay man in a natural environment, in pieces reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, each titled after famed London cruising areas.
Painter Gori Mora’s work focuses on the way in which technology contributes to our social interactions and how we (and/or gay men) perceive ourselves/themselves in contemporary society. The works are painted (in a truly remarkable ‘reverse’ process) using oil paint on Perspex, lending to a sort of glossy, dreamlike characteristic reminiscent of glamour magazines or even the sheen of a computer screen. Gori conceptualizes this subject through the creation of hypothetical Queer situations in the virtual space. Recurrent themes include interpersonal relationships, expectations of gay male society, dating apps, and the way men choose to cultivate their personas on online platforms and in society.
