The Showroom presents Amp Envelope, the first solo exhibition in London by artist Adam Shield.
Over the past year Shield has been working on a new body of work, opening up drawing and collage as a means of exploring interior worlds; with imagery encompassing references distilled from post-apocalyptic science fiction writing, to dystopian dream projectors, seventeenth century alchemy and everyday encounters with political, societal and economic structures.
Shield’s recurring motif of a hand-painted grid will wrap around the facade of The Showroom building as the framework for a new collaborative mural; the third iteration of The Showroom Mural Commission. Inside the gallery space Shield will create a spatial collage for audiences to inhabit; an all-encompassing environment further exploring the expansive potential of drawing and print.
Building upon a period of collaborative research in the local neighbourhood, Church Street Library & histories of radical community print groups, an in-situ printmaking workshop in the exhibition space will create the context for a programme of drawing, print and poster-making sessions running on weekends throughout the exhibition, from 19 July to 17 September 2022.
Using drawing as a tool for communication and opening up spaces for critical reflection at times of rapid change, where Church Street is in the midst of major long-term redevelopment, Shield will collaborate with community groups and individuals from The Showroom neighbourhood, leading to the creation of posters of varying scales as an accumulating collage enveloping The Showroom facade. Workshops will invite contributors to amplify their voices; revealing drawing, printmaking and collage as accessible platforms for reflection upon shared experiences and a means for personal expression to be collectively experienced by all.
The Showroom is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The Showroom Mural Commission – Adam Shield: Amp Envelope, 2022 is generously supported by the Abbey Harris Mural Fund.
