In the geographical shadow of the more pristine surroundings of Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe, two floors of undecorated space are hosting around 20 artists for a four-day flurry of cheeky subversion.
They include unsettling abstract sculpture by Martin Erik Andersen, up-and-coming Scotsman Paul Reid's mythological paintings and Sex Pistols collaborator Jamie Reid's subversive brand of spiritual radicalism, all courtesy of the ever-inventive Isis Gallery, who are taking responsibility for nine of the participants.
Isis are in good company when it comes to their co-organisers, starting with Carter Presents, a group whose reputation for introducing experimentalists continues here with "epic techno-sublime vistas" by Gordon Cheung and PVC pipes twisted into sound installations by Monica Biagioli, to name but two of their out-of-the-ordinary conspirators.
Perhaps the most notorious name involved stands in the L-13 corner, where Billy Childish shows off more of his no-holds-barred canvasses alongside five fellow artists possessing "a fondness for candid social criticism and a betrothed, playful approach to the serious process of making art."
With that description in mind the old warehouse seems like the perfect venue for their art, particularly when the organisers have had to include a disclaimer warning visitors that entry to the distinctly atypical space comes at their own risk.
Unpredictable and boundary-pushing, this is a must-see for Tate and Frieze daytrippers this weekend.
- The Bear Pit, Bear Gardens, London. Open 12pm-7pm. Admission free.
More pictures from the show:
The pre-war warehouse space is being taken over by around 20 artists
Brian Reed, Starving the Light of Oxygen (2011). Oil paint, marble dust on steel© Brian Reed, courtesy Carter Presents
Neal Jones, Mushroom. Painted wood carving© Neal Jones, courtesy L-13
Paul Reid, Pan (2011). Oil on canvas© Paul Reid, courtesy Isis Gallery
