Trickster

14 Jul-24 Jul 2022

PV 14 Jul 2022, 6-8pm

2022

Overview

Spanning painting, textile, sound, moving image, installation and performance, the work of Floor Five Collective raises questions surrounding identity and cultural histories, whilst encouraging inclusivity, inquisitivenessand curiosity through bold aesthetics and installation.

Whilst Trickster will highlight the diversity of each member’s particular cultural history and identity, investigating the notion of the ‘trickster’ will allow each artist to playfully explore the common threads and nuances in thenon-Western mythologies tied to their transcultural identities.

The trickster is a crucial figure in non-Western folklore and oral mythologies, depicted in different cultures as an animal or humanoid. Shrewd and cunning, the trick-playing character canbe regarded as a cultural folk hero who imparts wisdom through proverbial storytelling, but one who also has a dark, sometimes gluttonous side. This supernatural creature can often possess shapeshifting qualities, appearing in various guises while engaging in mischievous activities.

The artists of Floor Five Collective will draw parallels between the shapeshifting qualities of the trickster and the fluidity of their diasporic identities. Furthermore, the idea of playing a trick will be tied to the notion of the artist as imposter –working mischievously with non-Western artistic traditions.

The mythology of the trickster as an intermediary figure between the human and spiritual worlds will also be explored; this mythical creature will be employed as an intermediary and bridge between the artist’s individual practices and the community-based interactive work that will permeate the exhibition.

“Floor Five Collective is a London-based multidisciplinary group led by women of colour; we are amongst Goldsmiths University of London’s BA Fine Art graduating class of 2021. Our practices revolve around making visible the identities and ways of being that have been absent or distorted within canonical representation. We are a collective of thought, who marinate their minds in discourse shaped by our personal experiences and investigative research. Floor Five is committed to generating individual practicesas a result of these discussions, which reveal old truths from new perspectives”.