Human Remains
Helen Ashton & Fredrix Vermin, Art Hub Gallery, 2023
Taking inspiration from the detritus of South East London, Ashton’s drawings depict the late-night convenience landscape of Lewisham, while Vermin recontextualises fast food packaging as self portraits and shopping trolleys scavenged by cover of night as luxury items.
Out of a shared interest in the left behind and neglected corners, or edge lands of their environment, the artists present familiar everyday sights redefined as subjects worthy of attention. Where there’s muck there’s brass.
The title relates to the type of everyday debris that forms much of the subject matter of the work, and also references the comedy series of the same name written by and starring Julia Davies & Rob Brydon from 2000. Its use of dark humour in portraying bleak themes resonating with the artists.
The third exhibition organised and curated by the artists after group shows, Gung-Ho (2017) and Rhubarb & Custard (2018), Human Remains focuses purely on the work of Ashton and Vermin. In what may be one of the last exhibitions at Art Hub Gallery in it’s current format, it seems fitting that the work is concerned with environment.
