14 Jan 2015

fig-2, 50 projects in 50 weeks, takes place at ICA Studio throughout 2015

fig-2, a ground-breaking project curated by Fatos Üstek, presents 50 projects over 50 weeks at the ICA Studio, London in association with Outset Contemporary Art Fund.

fig-2's format utilises change as a constant. fig-2's structure of fifty successive exhibitions realised on a weekly basis operates as a catalyst to manifest the aesthetic and critical currency of our times. Through a mode of knowledge accumulation, the body of fig-2's multiplicity of experiences and encounters provide a fertile ground for productive discourse and reflection upon artistic input whilst emphasising a trans-disciplinary attitude and deep audience engagement.

fig-2 is intended as a sequence with varying density and content, providing engagement that either interrogates more deeply or elucidates a relationship to the other concepts with equal complexity. fig-2 will accumulate a multiplicity of experiences and encounters in its body through providing production ground for discourse, and reflection ground for artistic input with a trans-disciplinary attitude, and emphasis on engaging a wide range of audience. Positioning the art object as an object of encounter, as opposed to an object of recognition, the year will cultivate uncertainty and conscious incompleteness through each and every project that is driven by the radical imagination of artists, writers, dancers, architects, and designers.

fig-2 is a revival of fig-1, which was conceived and developed by Mark Francis and Jay Jopling in 2000. Run from an independent space, fig-1 situated itself between museum, gallery and artist' studio, maintaining freedom from institutional and commercial obligations. Bold and experimental by nature, each project was programmed only a few weeks in advance, so as to remain flexible and responsive, including projects by Jeremy Deller, Richard Hamilton, Runa Islam, Oliver Payne + Nick Relph, Will Self, Patti Smith, Caruso St. John, Philip Treacy, among others.

Darren Almond, fig-1 artist, declares that: 'What was interesting and crucial about the fig-1 concept was its speed of transition from one practice to another. A space of domestic scale and intimacy was taken in central London, its function was simple enough, to provide a platform which could ignite relationships between artists of all genres, be them well established or at the brink of discovery. It was a tremendous success and ironically I felt, ran out of time. fig-1 became a fixed cultural meeting point that started the week, where future collaborations were formed and projects hatched and realised. Creativity was given a chance. So let its' brilliance continue all through 2015 with fig-2.'

Keep up with the conversation across social media with the hashtag #fig2london

For press inquires, please contact Jessica Baggaley jess@boltonquinn.com.