Wickerham & Lomax at The London EDITION 14 October – 28 October 2021

If you are in London October 14 through October 28th there’s an exciting art exhibit by rising American artists Wickerham & Lomax whom I’ve just been introduced to via media announcement. I’m not an art critic by any means and don’t claim to understand the “hidden meanings” behind the works but I know when something special is happening and this duo is destined to be a force to be reckoned with in the art world. They are having their UK debut this month and proceeds from their show will go to charity. Please see the official announcement below for all the details!

The London EDITION is honoured to present CULTURE’S PANIC ROOM; an immersive and mesmerizing exhibition by the emerging American artist duo Wickerham & Lomax. Coinciding with Frieze London, the site-specific installation will welcome visitors from 14th-28th October and marks the pair’s debut exhibition in the UK, while offering an all-new experience at The London EDITION.

Situated in the hotel’s BASEMENT, which was originally conceived as a nightclub, the mixed-media installation playfully meditates upon questions regarding luxury, presence, individuation, and access. The artists will transform the space into a highly reflective and sensory experience imitating a panic room with CGI mapped characters as tropes surrounding: the heist, the encounter, the intruder and the stranger as subjects of imagined realities. Through interaction with the digitally rendered CGI characters and other exhibition visitors, the installation encourages its audience to reconsider its relationship with self and others in space.

The bold club culture sensibilities of the artists are married with the nocturnal nightclub aesthetic of the exhibition space as the exhibition blurs the boundaries between the real world and virtual through neon lights, plexiglass and acrylic sculptures and digitally mapped CGI characters. Their gallerist, Todd von Ammon, is printed in the round on a charity tank – while digitally augmented he lounges, eagerly waiting to be showered by visitors’ donations with proceeds going to Ballet After Dark, an organization based in Baltimore, MD, that assists sexual trauma survivors with their recovery through dance.

Hotly tipped as ‘Ones to Watch’ by Artforum in 2020, Wickerham & Lomax’s large scale installations employ queer sensibilities, speculative fictions and networked virtuality to explore subculture, marginality and connectivity as a way to complicate mainstream perspectives. The London EDITION’s sleek architecture and tasteful decor provide an exquisite backdrop for presenting the artists’ work in a dynamic way while offering a portal into the essence of the city.

Wickerham & Lomax said: “I hope visitors take away observations and urges –– once seeing their own image in the work they start to consider conversations of empathy, cohabitation, and what it is to be complicit…and beyond the material realities, a narrative coded in these works suggests multiple role reversals and space to look at oneself while asking how we ended up here?”

The London EDITION said: “Art has always been woven into the fabric of the Edition Hotels, and indeed is a huge part of everything Ian Schrager does. Ian has always made it a priority to remove pretension from art, pushing forward that Warholian idea of making it available in public venues where it can be for everybody, with an emphasis on interactivity. We are honoured to bring Wickerham & Lomax to the UK for the first time, and have been continually blown away by their work on this project. Following the inevitable closure of Basement around the pandemic, we can think of no better way to bring it roaring back to life than with this incredible, otherworldly installation.

CULTURE’S PANIC ROOM will be available to view from 14 October – 28 October 2021 exclusively at The London EDITION.

Here’s a peek as some of their previous work!

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.