The Shock of the Now — Hector Campbell

The Shock of the Now Issue 66
Featured Exhibition Text
Elliot Fox
‘PYSCHO GEOLOGY’ Solo Exhibition
Anderson Contemporary
7th December 2022

This week’s Featured Text is Elliot Fox’s latest solo exhibition ‘PSYCHO GEOLOGY’ at Anderson Contemporary. I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with Elliot since curating his 2020 solo exhibition ‘Idol Hands’, and it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch his practice develop and witness this latest body of work take shape over the past year or so. The exhibition, curated by the sensational Georgia Stephenson, is a tour de force and rewards prolonged, in-person viewing. You can also pick up a copy of the accompanying publication, produced by the inimitable Foolscap Editions, which includes a wonderfully whimsical essay by Georgia featuring Kevin McCloud and an anthropomorphic St Ives.

The Shock of the Now Issue 62
Featured Exhibition Text
Bex Massey
‘The truth is out there’ Solo Exhibition
Roman Road
9th November 2022

This week’s Featured Text is Bex Massey’s brilliant solo exhibition ‘The truth is out there’ at Roman Road’s new Notting Hill gallery space. A guaranteed nostalgia trip for any ‘90s kid, the exhibition is dense with stimulating subject matter and rammed full of references, yet each painting still manages to achieve more than the sum of its parts. Educating and entertaining in equal measure, the exhibition is accompanied by a refreshing responsive essay from writer and cultural commentator Louis Wise.

The Shock of the Now Issue 61
Featured Exhibition Text
Hand-Held
2nd November 2022

This week’s Featured Text is Hand-Held, an incredibly unique exhibition devised by Holly Stevenson and Ingrid Bertham-Moine, of which I am the current custodian. It’s been a pleasure getting truly up close and personal with the project over the last week or two, and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity, so my thanks to Holly and Ingrid!

The Shock of the Now Issue 59
Featured Exhibition Text
Jack Killick
Solo Exhibition
Lungley Gallery
19th October 2022

This week’s Featured Text is back to basics with a write-up of Jack Killick’s current solo exhibition at Lungley Gallery. I first encountered Jack’s work at Lungley’s erstwhile basement space in Haggerston, and have enjoyed witnessing both his and the gallery’s progression.

The Shock of the Now Issue 57
Featured Text
(Don't) Explain Yourself!
5th October 2022

This week’s Featured Text is a short essay I’ve entitled ‘(Don’t) Explain Youself!’, in which I draw a comparison between the widely shared weekend statements by the designer Demna and artist Tai Shani, as well as some musings on the matter of artistic explanation, its need or lack thereof.