Andrew Curtis
18 Jul - 16 Aug 2009

Andrew Curtis makes images of suburban dissonance by blurring physical and psychological reality. Using our shared knowledge and preconceptions of suburbia he wants to question contemporary notions of anomie, the abject and the exotic. Recurrent motifs are the shadow and anachronistic signs of cultural appropriation; significantly the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria Araucana), once used to decorate Victorian suburbia and now an uneasy reminder of British colonial activity. Via autographic marks and hand processing, this recent series of photo etchings record the interplay of his personal encounters, consequential research and studio practice. They are archivally mounted on untreated wooden tray supports to imply a sense of the provisional, a hybrid aesthetic of Arts and Crafts and the local architects planning office.

Curtis recently graduated from the Royal College of Art and has been selected for New Contemporaries 2009.