Victoria P. Gill: FLEX
17th June, 2024 -29th June, 2024
Camberwell Kabinett
Camberwell Road
London
Cities function through the tireless, unnoticed work of maintenance workers. Every path we tread, every bin we use, and every shop window we peer into is a testament to the silent yet essential labour that keeps urban life running smoothly.
Going into the national lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, public
acknowledgement and respect of these acts became more trendy. People recognised them as respected positions, and praised the people performing them. Yet there were no pay rises awarded to match this respect. Instead, we performatively clapped, some even hit saucepans with ladles to show just how much their work to uphold the city in a time of global turbulence was valued by us all.
Four years on, there are no longer claps. Bin men are still collecting our ever-growing waste, street sweepers are still sweeping the dust from our streets and highway workers are still collecting neon orange cones from our roads, albeit without the corresponding pay rises. The claps have faded, yet the work continues. The question remains: has the recognition made any lasting impact?
Victoria P. Gill, an artist from Leeds now based in London, delves into these themes in her latest exhibition, ‘FLEX,’ at the Camberwell Kabinett on Camberwell Road curated by No.32. Her work explores the ways we cope with the high costs of living in the capital by transforming a former bus driver’s kiosk into a space of contemplation and critique of the financial demands we face and the ways in which we’re able to deal with them.
‘FLEX’ features sculptural bins and other personalised maintenance items, each priced at Victoria’s own costs of existing and maintenance bills. The exhibition offers a unique perspective and criticism on the normalisation of ‘hand-to-mouth’ living in Britain as a result of current socio-economic management.
Victoria P. Gill: FLEX opens on the 17th of June, 2024 until the 29th of June, 2024
at Camberwell Kabinett
©2024 Victoria P. Gill
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