QX magazine spoke to Prem Sahib, the artist behind the END UP art installation.
Hey Prem, what can you tell me about your latest installation?
The installation extends from an event I staged at the gallery two years ago called BUMP. I basically transformed the space into a one-off club night and then worked with the remnants from this event to produce an exhibition. With this installation, END UP, I’m similarly opening the gallery up as a social space.
What were you hoping to achieve?
I’m hoping the paired down interventions I’ve made might encourage a different type of use. For instance, there are benches that line the gallery walls, so that rather than confronting only art, there’s a suggestion of being confronted with other bodies or it being a space where you might hang out. I made the benches in collaboration with Xavier Llarch Font- collaboration, which is a big part of my practice and in some ways I see the exhibition as a continuation of this.
What sparked the idea?
It began with a compulsion I had to board up the façade of the gallery. I very quickly realized that this stemmed from all the construction and closure that’s taking place across London at the moment, especially with the recent closure of so many gay venues, not to mention cottages and cruising sites. I wanted to reference this so I’ve boarded up the gallery, making it appear as though it is under construction or on the brink of change. I’ve also played with the lighting inside- it has quite a bleak feel about it all.
What themes are you exploring and how?
In this instance I guess closure became a starting point, but more broadly I’m interested in encounters and the relationship between public and private space. I often reference the architecture and atmosphere of spaces that act as meeting places or where bodies convene. With some of my recent work I’ve been thinking a lot about public toilets, nightclubs and bathhouses, using and repurposing the materials found in those places.
What’s next on the agenda?
I co-run a club night called Anal House Meltdown with artists Eddie Peake and George Henry Longly. On October 17th we will be teaming up with Chapter 10 for a big night at Corsica Studios where we will also be celebrating the release of our track Death Drive. I also have my exhibition Side On at the ICA, and on November 12th I’m collaborating with Jeffrey Hinton on a screening cum club night called UNPLUCT.
• END UP will be on display from the 7th October – 14th November at Southard Reid, 7 Royalty Mews, London W1D 3AS.
For more details visit www.southardreid.com/exhibitions/detail/prem-sahib
