Laura Aldridge

On the devolution of culture
Rob Tufnell, London
19/09 – 25/10/2014

David Adamo, Laura Aldridge, Hany Armanious, Aaron Angell, Ei Arakawa & Henning Bohl, Anna Blessmann & Peter Saville, Wolfgang Breuer & Lucie Stahl, Pavel Büchler, Steven Claydon, Keith Coventry, Matthew Darbyshire, Nicolas Deshayes, Jason Dodge, Paul Elliman, Ruth Ewan, Alex Frost, Ryan Gander, Martino Gamper, Brian Griffiths, Richard Healy, Roger Hiorns, Andy Holden, Richard Hughes, Tom Humphreys, Phillip Lai, Jim Lambie, Jack Lavender, Hannah Lees, Sherrie Levine, Helen Marten, Simon Martin, Mike Nelson, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Magali Reus, David Shrigley, Ricky Swallow, Mungo Thomson, Hayley Tompkins, Francis Upritchard, Franz West, Bedwyr Williams.

This survey of contemporary sculpture in microcosm takes inspiration from the collection of the 19th century anthropological archaeologist Lieutenant General Augustus Henry Pitt-Rivers (1827 – 1900). However, it refutes his belief in social Darwinism and celebrates something of the reverse, its title being a corruption of his lecture ‘On the Evolution of Culture’ (delivered to the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1875).
Works are presented to echo Pitt Rivers’ domestic display of ethnographic objects and archaeological finds arrayed over a snooker table. The exhibition therefore also acknowledges Man Ray’s painting ‘La Fortune’ (1938) and Sherrie Levine’s sculptural approximation of it (1990).
The exhibition rejects the crafted neo-classicism promoted by 19th century industrialists and landowners such as Pitt-Rivers. It also opposes later, early twentieth century works of applied art included in exhibitions such as ‘Modern Art for the Table’ (1934). Instead it celebrates dysfunction, redundancy and crude fetish.

Thanks are due to Roy Stephenson and Caroline McDonald for their invaluable assistance in sourcing archaeological specimens for the exhibition.