An Ode to Never Fitting In

Curators

Tamara Admoni

Artists

Ashley Cluer

Nothing about Ashley Cluer’s three monumental sculptures that occupy the gallery space looks organic. The bright green colour sprayed on the industrial cement has nothing to do with the green hues of nature. These are (wo)man made objects, works of art, certainly not part of the natural world. Their striking appearance doesn’t fit in, and maybe they aren’t trying to.

These works have been titled Unofficially me, informally you (2024). Growing up and continuing to this day, Cluer felt as though she never fitted in. As a descendant of refugees, she has inherited the burden of assimilation. She has always aspired to fit in. Conversely, she creates art that stands out and challenges expectations. This way, she addresses our fundamental human need to fit in, merge into the masses, and never stick out.

Her abstracted, uncanny sculptures spark conversation and visually attract further inquiry. Intentionally open to interpretation, the exhibition aspires to form an inclusive space for anyone who has ever felt they don’t belong. The sculpture's burden of not fitting in, enables the viewers to freely absorb and reflect. The sculptures invite the viewers to walk around them and perhaps spot another viewer through the works' passageways, maybe suggesting that we are not alone; we all have shared insecurities and experiences.

The sculptures are abstract, but they are not completely unrecognisable. They’re strangely familiar, like a memory or a dream. They resemble doorways, portals and even echo ancient ritualistic stonework. This uncanny relationship between artificial and natural is also evident in Cluer’s self-taught modes of making. By using her city's environment as inspiration and material resource, Cluer’s work is uniquely crafted from cement, steel and luminous paints. Her aesthetic decisions question the practical function of these foundational materials. Asking the viewer to actually consider the very substances on our streets and homes that we often take for granted.

‘I’m trying to make the things I see in my mind; my sculptures are my inventions. I’m literally making things that didn’t exist and so, for me, anything is possible’. Cluer continues, ‘I suppose that’s why these sculptures are formed like passageways. They are open doors, ready to transport viewers to a different dimension - not literally but metaphorically’. Unofficially me, informally you (2024) takes a viewer from one way of thinking to another; they represent the possibility of transformation.

Following the opening, on October 22nd, Tamara Admoni will host an in-depth conversation between Ashley Cluer and the renowned artist Jyll Bradley. There will also be a live performance in response to the work by violist Hugo Max. At the close of the show, the works will then travel to their final destination; joining The Canary Wharf Estate’s permanent collection. The sculptures will be on public display in the Harbour Quay Gardens indefinitely from early January 2025.

Ashley Cluer (b. 2001)

Designed to stand out, challenge expectations and powerfully make a difference to others, Cluer’s work sparks conversation; it visually attracts further inquiry asking for interaction. Cluer is utterly fascinated by the world, her need to understand is evident in her relentless experimentation, creation and physical manifestation of the impossible. Greatly inspired by the gargantuan works of Barbara Hepworth, Phyllida Barlow, Franz West, Frank Auerbach and Giacometti to name a few. Cluer uses physicality to express intangible ideas and emotions. Her unique manipulation of overlooked, foundational materials results in her creation of sculptures that exist not because they should but because she wills them into being.

Forthcoming, Ashley will be showcasing work at Flowers Gallery on Cork Street this November and Bonhams Auction House on Bond Street in January.

This show is with large thanks to our partnerships: The Koppel Project, Jyll Bradley, Lockbund Foundry, The Canary Wharf Estate, Hugo Max, Ummer Daraz (Empace Civil & Structural Engineers), PerfectTed & Brugal Rum.