Top image: Daniel Crews-Chubb ‘Rituals’ (bumba and belfie pink) (2016) © Daniel Crews-Chubb, 2017. Image courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery, London

With the definition of iconoclasm being: ‘a person who attacks or criticises cherished beliefs or institutions’, the Saatchi gallery’s new exhibition, Iconoclasts: Art out of the Mainstream, is tackling this definition in tune with today’s society.

Iconoclasm is a process that throughout history, has been saturated with contradiction. On one level, there’s the loss of traditional aesthetics, and on another, there’s the gaining of social progression. This is the undertow of the exhibition, whereby featured artists evoke with their use of eclectic materials, narrate with cynicism and question the norm. Sitting beneath this umbrella of scrutinization, thirteen artists originating from all corners such as Norwich, Hong Kong, San Francisco, probe at the material boundaries of visual art and present mutable, diverse works.

Whilst they are not anchored by one aesthetic, all of the artists use unorthodox materials and contemporary techniques bound by a mutual questioning of cultural standards and society. One example is Josh Faught, who harks back to the medieval with embroidered tapestries, only these are rendered in hemp, collage, nail polish, disaster blankets and artificial food – encouraging a visual discourse for topics such as queer history. Meanwhile, Danny Fox‘s cultural montages mish-mash diverse reference points, and Thomas Mailaender’s kafkaesque procedure of sunburning cyanotypes of found imagery onto bodies gives sentiments of memory or transience.

Here, curator, Philippa Adams, shares the process behind the exhibition and explores what it means to be an iconoclast in our world today.

Robyn Cusworth: Iconoclasm isn’t such a well-used term nowadays, so what triggered you to use this word in this exhibition?
Phillipa Adams: I think firstly we have to consider how to interpret the term iconoclasm to the present day. A little artistic license at play by us perhaps, but I think it’s a very relevant term for now. Whilst these artists are not defacing any such religious and political symbols, they are exploring and experimenting with materials and their source of materials. They are very much working outside of the mainstream practice of others. It is through their choice and source of material as much as how they work with it, that brings layers of beguiling magic, puns and political resonance to thread throughout the works.

Robyn: Could these works be Iconoclastic on two levels? The mediums themselves are pretty boundary breaking, as well as their subject matters.
Phillipa: You wouldn’t call this protest art, but it’s certainly not polite. The exhibition contains a myriad of unusual image-making processes. One artist weaves thousands of crow feathers, another casts directly from the organs of animals and then there’s embroidery over the top of vintage photography.  

Robyn: How did you select the artists featured in the exhibition?
Phillipa: All of the artists we selected for this show feel very relevant right now. There is not an obvious link and they are all working very independently. Though all of the work is confident, honest, energetic and uncompromising.

Robyn: What are the common traits throughout these diverse mediums?
Phillipa: Re-appropriation is a common trait, a weaving with materials. This could be a technique such as physical embroidering or the plucking of imagery or objects from places such as flea markets or the internet to appropriate in a new way.

“It is through their choice and source of material as much as how they work with it, that brings layers of beguiling magic, puns and political resonance to thread throughout the works.”

Robyn: How are these works significant to contemporary cultures right now?
Phillipa: I’d say there is an overall concern and responsibility for over indulgence in contemporary society, a saturation, whether it be media or consumer. Many, especially the painters, also reference modern culture behaviours and look to art history – from the figurative to primitive art, ancient rituals through to modern day anthropology. Their interpretation and references bring contemporary significance, giving the audience an opportunity for reflection.

Robyn: This exhibition at Saatchi illuminates works by lesser known, contemporary artists. Do you think that there should be more of a space for this at iconic institutions?
Phillipa: I think the Saatchi Gallery is unrivalled in that it can get behind the voice and vision of young artists, giving them a museum presentation often before they have been picked up by a gallery. This ability to act fast allows us to present our shows early on in artists’ careers, in a way that many other institutions cannot. This being said, I would argue positively that there are also institutions and other platforms including art fairs which are offering opportunities to younger artists and curators more than ever before.

Iconoclasts: Art out of the Mainstream runs from 27th September 2017 – 7th January 2018 at the Saatchi Gallery.