Trade : Matt Blackler, Matt Calderwood, Rachael Champion, Alan Magee, Andy Wicks
29 August - 10 September 2014
16 Little Portland Street, London, W1W 8BP

Steel, plasterboard and low-grade sheet material are often utilised as unseen supports, trading aesthetics for strength, ease of use and the ability to disguise. Whilst pebbledash in spite of being an exterior render is one that is often stigmatised and associated with uninspiring suburban design.

Trade brings together works from a group of contemporary artists whose diverse practices utilise and exploit these materials. Made for industry they have an inherent rawness and toughness which makes them demanding to handle and difficult to manipulate. 

“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” 
― Michelangelo

Perhaps it’s because of the challenges that such materials pose that makes them appealing for a sculptural practice. Each of the works demonstrates a high level of craft and confidence in handling. Yet these works can exist without the need to disguise the sum of their parts. There are no grand illusions here, metal remains metal and wood as wood, however what lifts these works is their form and context. Shapes interlock, geometries reveal themselves and a sense of playfulness emerges from these raw materials.