Krug presents Oliver Clegg
May 8 - 20th 2007

68 Dean st London W1

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In this exhibition the London-based artist will show a series of 4 carvings and 12 etchings. Vogue recently profiled Clegg noting “The artist is drawn to the gothic ephemera of childhood”. Clegg is interested in objects which have an opaque history – both in terms of representing them and using them as a material on which to work. In the carvings a neo-Gothic oak door from the 1920’s is strewn with once cherished, now discarded children’s toys, calcified in oak. The surfaces of Clegg’s 12 still-lifes are made up of 12 pages, or 1 month, from a 1930’s diary. Again highly resonant artefacts are captured, here across the diary pages. Contemplation is at the heart of the piece, both in our viewing of the object and in the material which forms its base.

Clegg is interested in the play of time on artefacts. His work explores a surreal world where antique childhood possessions are combined with other elements of a bygone era to produce beautiful but disturbing pieces. These works have their place in the development and change in art production, with historical references presented in a modern way. Through them we are able to understand the need for a balance, a re-evaluation of values. Through our contemplation of their meaning we take a step away from fast-paced present day life.

Isabella Macpherson - curator