Tribe 2 Tribe is the first UK solo exhibition from US-based artist Lauren Elder. Interested in the symbolism that underpins current social realities, Elder presents a cluster of conceptually interacting objects and printed material that maps cultural information with an estranged distance. Life-enhancing commodities and commercial logos act as coded imprints of contemporary consumerism, fossilized like ancient artefacts and suffused with a disquieting sense of instability.

"Symbols can create great divisions in an organization. Culture provides both division and unity, and the symbols used to reinforce the organization can create powerful social alienation between individuals and groups. Subcultures develop between managers and workers, blue and white collars, or factory and sales creating the potential for a 'them versus us' environment." - Harris & Nelson 2008

"When faced with uncertainty, individuals continually organize themselves within their group based reality and respond within that reality." - Weick, 1995

"We walk/talk through the desert, the desert walks/talks through us. It is very important, as every tribesman has known, to remember the water bottle when walking/talking in the desert (of the real). Zhuangzi knew, and Thermodynamics has taught; myself and the water bottle are recycled at the same time. There is no desert, there is no me, there is no water bottle. Except that one can come to the conclusion that recycling is a false myth, because to not recycle is impossible (everything is always already being recycled and renewed). Then what is the possibility of a cut? Can something ever truly be severed? If there is a balance in the universe (i.e. culture) then this must include the possibility of unbalance, and therefore a cut. In the topology of our current material moment, it is a socio-linguistic question mark followed by a splice, and then truly severed. But severed from what? These are the things I cannot live without". - exhibition statement my Micah Schippa

Lauren Elder (b.1990 in Los Angeles) lives and works between Los Angeles and Chicago. She recently received her BFA in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Currently she is a member of the collective Miami Dutch, formerly known as No-New Info. Recent Exhibitions include: Institute Bianche at Library Plus, London, Notes on New Nature at Arti et Amicitiae, Netherlands, Immune Stability at Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles, Analogitcal at UMOCA, Allstate at Robert Bills Contemporary, Chicago and Spring Notes on Motivational Teamwork published by Peradam at Artbook MOMA PS1, NYC.

West Lane South Gallery
16 West Lane, Bermondsey
London SE16 4NY United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 36025333
mail@westlanesouth.com

Opening hours
Thursday - Saturday
From 12pm to 6pm