Editorial / Exhibitions

Wondrous Obsessions: The Art Of Collecting | Curated by The Connor Brothers

13 Mar 2016

The Connor Brothers are back at Hang-Up Gallery! Taking on a new role from artists to curators, they will be transforming the gallery into a Curiosity Shop featuring new works by Swoon, Butch Anthony, Dr Viktor Schroeder, Candice Tripp, Giles Walker, Mark Powell, Joe Webb, Laura Keeble, John Henry Toney and, of course, The Connor Brothers.

The Connor Brothers have hand picked a selection of highly respected artist from all around the world to come together and create work according to a specific brief. Think curiosities, the weird and wonderful, think curio and collections.

As Hang-Up are being introduced to new artists, we will be interviewing them weekly in the run up to the opening on Thurs 5 May. There will be several new artists and a couple of familiar faces...

The Connor Brothers have created their very own cabinets of curiosity. Each wunderkabinett is a bespoke rose-wood vessel to hold remarkable objects such as dinosaur teeth, animal skulls and fossiled coral. Each cabinet will be unique in size and contents, hanging on the gallery walls available to purchase.

Put it in the diary and check out some of the artists that will making an appearance in the show.

Swoon - Momento Mori

"From kids picking up shells on the beach, to art enthusiasts buying coveted works at Christies, the instinct to collect is deeply ingrained in human beings. Contemporary collectors tend to specialise in a specific category, and these categories are represented by equally specialized museums. However, the current trend for specialization is a relatively recent development. Historical collections did not distinguish between art, natural history, antiquities, or scientific discovery but instead showed them alongside one another." *

The Connor Brothers - Every Love Story Is A Ghost Story

Butch Anthony

John Henry Toney

"It was in the 16th and 17th centuries, as the world opened up and explorers returned home with tales of new discoveries, that collecting became an obsession. Wealthy individuals created Cabinets of Curiosity, also known as Wunderkammers, in which they housed their precious collections. These early displays were not united by any curatorial theme, but rather by the idea that each of the objects contained within them inspired a sense of wonder in the viewer. Over time these Cabinets of Wonder evolved into entire rooms and became encyclopaedic collections of objects whose categorical boundaries were not yet clearly defined. These Wonder Rooms formed the basis of the modern museum" *

Candice Tripp - The Day Before They All Died In The Fire

Joe Webb - Atomic Tan

Dr Viktor Shroeder - Memento Mori With Azure Magpie

"Over the centuries the idea of the museum has changed, and they have become increasingly places that specialise in a specific category. This has allowed a deeper insight and knowledge into highly specialised areas. However, the original idea of collecting as a source of wonder has been lost -the magic of collecting as a child has been replaced by the academic pursuit of knowledge.

In this exhibition we hope to share our passion for collecting, and return to the original idea of the Wunderkammer as a place that will inspire wonder in the viewer. We have not separated the objects in the exhibition into art, natural history, antiquities or scientific discovery but rather show them alongside each other, united by nothing more that the curiosity they encourage ." *

Giles Walker - Patricia and Monique

Laura Keeble

Mark Powell - Je Suis Paris

"We have created a series of traditional cabinets of curiosity, filled with wonders of the natural world, which will be presented together with antiquities and artworks. We have also commissioned a selection of our favourite artists to create works specifically for the exhibition. These artists have been chosen for the curiosity their work provokes, and the wonder they inspire." *

* Mike Snelle from The Connor Brothers

We look forward to releasing more information nearer the time, but for now, keep an eye out for artists interviews and teasers from Hang-Up Gallery!