Artist Steven Claydon selected “objects and things”, examining the relationship between the art object and the institutions that display them - a playful and critical approach to presentation
The exhibition’s title was taken from a quote by fictional 1930s detective Charlie Chan and contains a peculiar British Modernism.
Claydon’s selection included sculpture from the start of the 20th-century by Jacob Epstein and Alberto Giacometti and 1940s paintings by Francis Picabia as well as films by contemporary London-based artists Bonnie Camplin, Mark Leckey and Simon Martin.
Claude Cahun’s photographs from the 1930s were shown alongside ceramics from the 1970s by Hans Coper; iconic sculptures by Elisabeth Frink and Lynn Chadwick provided a context for other artists working in the 1970s. A new sculpture by the American artist Charles Simonds has been commissioned by Camden Art Centre.
