Eddie Peak: Concrete Pitch Exhibition Review - White Cube Gallery
7th February – 8th April 2018
FREE ENTRY
Eddie Peake takes you back to his childhood playground, the 'Concrete Pitch' where he grew up, near Finsbury Park. The cultural and personal memories attached to that recreation ground are exhibited through the immersive experience of his painting, sculpture, performance and sound in the White Cube's South Gallery in Bermondsey.
Embodying London's diversity, an assortment of elements from Peake's life permeate the works within the space. Curved across the gallery, the sculpture 'Stroud Green Road' symbolises Peake's vision of the real North London high street. The steel table is filled with a collation of objects, including items from local shops, sound equipment and abstract creations, juxtaposing between the tangible materials within the exhibition and the intangible feelings of nostalgia that hangs in the air. Large graffiti-style paintings fill the gallery walls, depicting portraits, text and images inspired by London's street culture. Behind white sheets hanging from the ceiling, a film showing naked performers in a choreographed sequence of movements plays on loop. Here the artist conveys the everyday routine, stripped bare. Alongside these works, the artist himself will be making scheduled appearances throughout his solo exhibition. Blurring the lines between still and live performance, he emerges into the gallery to interact with the objects and space, representing the inextricable link between Peake's perception of art and life.
On approaching the South Gallery, faint sounds of deep basslines and rapid tempos infuse the air. Once inside the exhibition space, DJs from Kool London can be seen broadcasting their live radio show within the confines of a constructed booth. Peake has collaborated with the heroes of his adolescence, to provide an exhibition soundtrack reminiscent of his youth. Emerging from East London’s Tower Hamlets in the early 90s, the pirate radio station Kool FM began broadcasting tunes online, inspired by the underground Jungle and Drum & Bass movements. Rebranded as Kool London, the radio station continues online as well as broadcasting daily from 10am to 6pm within Peake's live show space. With so much going on, it is hard not to get lost in each aspect of Peake's creation. However, this exhibition not only epitomises the cultural diversity of the artist's hometown London, but also as an urban space, bursting with ideas and concepts that captures the pandemonium of everyday life. For those looking to experience the artistic chaos inside Peake's non-linear narrative, take a walk across his 'Concrete Pitch'.
Pushing the boundaries between an exhibition and venue space, the White Cube will be staying open late, from 6:30-9pm on Thursday March 15th, to host a choreographed performance presented by Peake and a specialised set by Kool London.
