Surivanoroc
Virtual Exhibition

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY VIRTUAL GALLERY

The exhibition, SURINAVOROC, takes place within a virtual rendition of room G301, a Fine Art Studio on campus in Middlesex University’s Grove building. G301 is normally messy, noisy, requiring brute force, armed with scrapers, paint brushes and mops to transform it into a pristine final year gallery space. The hours of labour in creating this virtual space are no less arduous and I thank all those involved for their work in doing so.

SURINAVOROC presents the work of graduating artists: 

Sunim Rai, Polly Murphy, Jakub Mrozek, Ines Santos, Agatha Avila Xavier, David Casian, Leah Lewis, Venice Tan, Alice O'Donnell, Bahi Taleshi, Sara Gunu,Chloe Osei-Williams, Mahlia Akthar, Bahador Khodadadi, Leila Baker, Charlotte Hannaford, Fatma Huseyin, Charlie Lewin, Neda Changizi, Fatemeh Rahmdezfouli, Ghada El Ghor, Gabriele Peraldo, Elisabetta Andrea Carlotta del Ponte, Joss Munson, Jimel Kika, Shequille Mandiangu, Kes Eccleston, Kali Odunlami-Okafor

This has been a difficult on-off year, and everyone has been aware of continual movement between physical and virtual spaces in how we teach and communicate with others. While we have missed out on many of our usual everyday encounters, informal dialogues and the pleasures of seeing work ‘grow’ physically and collectively in the studios, perhaps for some the experiences of silence (and maybe even more time for reflection) has tuned these works more acutely towards current discourses dominating the media. Looking at the works collected in SURIVANOROC it is clear that the impact of lockdown encouraged these artists to examine things close up, to scrutinise, to question, to take risks and to push things into action. As a result, quite definitely within SURIVANOROC,  there is a richness to the practices exhibited and ideas explored, and a real sense of engagement with current issues. Through diverse approaches, focus has turned to real and pressing subjects of race, gender, and the value systems at play within the art world, as well as themes of memory and cultural provenance.

It has been really exciting to see the development of works by all of the artists exhibiting here. We wish each of them well and great success as they make their way out into the world. It is promising that we already see on the horizon signs of new projects scheduled for the group and opportunities to see their work physically. We look forward to the year group’s Autumn show which will take place at Crypt Gallery in October and to many more individual successes like Sunim Rai’s forthcoming participation as a winner within the Freelands Painting Prize exhibition and Elisabetta del Ponte’s Museum of Dark Matter. Before they set off, at this pivotal moment of threshold, we’re excited to welcome artists and curators to join with us in celebration of SURIVANOROC events on 3rd and 4th June including: artist Louisa Fairclough, independent curator Indra Khanna, Tate St Ives Education Curator Melanie Stidolph, Deputy Director of Focal Point Hayley Dixon and Senior Curator at John Hansard Gallery, Ros Carter.

Associated, events, talks and workshops: linktr.ee
Find out more: www.mdx.ac.uk