Paul Hobson, Director of the Contemporary Art Society, recommends his favourite exhibition of the week.
Transcendental Empiricism at Rob Tufnell
15 October – 26 November 2011
Rob Tufnell, 83 Page Street, London SW1P 4HA
Open Thursday – Saturday 12-6pm and by appointment.
For those of you yet to make a visit, freelance curator and gallerist Rob Tufnell has just opened a new gallery space in a listed Lutyens property, formerly used as a greengrocers, in Pimlico. Don’t be put off by the somewhat daunting theoretical title of the opening show – Transcendental Empiricism – which takes its name from the philosophical writings of Giles Deleuze: this is a beautifully presented and playful exhibition which places the viewer in an alternative universe in which absurdity and comedy have overhauled our traditional understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe. The exhibition is best characterised by Andy Holden’s manifesto of ten laws of physics written for a cartoon universe derived from classic ‘toons such as Roadrunner and Wacky Races. The show includes five artists, all of whom are attracting critical acclaim internationally: Constant Dullaart, Ruth Ewan, Andy Holden, Stephen Sutcliffe and Mungo Thomson, and the space itself is well worth a visit.
Image: Transcendental Empiricism installation view. Works, left to right, by Andy Holden and Stephen Sutcliffe
Photograph: Andy Keate