Dispersion

Five Best Exhibitions in the Evening Standard
Pick of the Week, Guardian Guide
"I don't know if you’ve noticed, but the ICA is on fire at the moment." Rob Valid, Le Cool
"One of the best group shows at the ICA for a long while." James Westcott, Artreview.com
"...It’s a brilliant and socially challenging start to the ICA’s latest show that, through seven artists, sets out to explore the appropriation and malleability of images. ***" Zena Alkayat, Metro
"...the very lifeblood of the institution. ‘Dispersion’ presents the latest in a long line of hard-to-fathom artistic positions, which shouldn’t be ignored just because they’re hard to categorise. ****" Ossian Ward, Time Out

Dispersion presents seven international artists—Henrik Olesen, Hito Steyerl, Seth Price, Anne Collier, Hilary Lloyd, Maria Eichhorn and Mark Leckey—who work with photography, film, video and performance. All of these artists explore the appropriation and circulation of images in contemporary society, examining the role of money, desire and power in our accelerated image economy: from the art market to the internet, from art historical icons to pornography.

The works in Dispersion often take the form of archives, histories or collections, sometimes adopting an anthropological approach. In many cases, they are characterised by an interest in feminism and gender politics in the realms of sexuality and sub-cultures. All the works however are informed by personal or idiosyncratic narratives, exploring the role of subjectivity in the contemporary flow of imagery and capital.

The title of the exhibition is drawn from an essay written by participating artist Seth Price, which reflects on the role of 'distributed media' in avant-garde practice, from Marcel Duchamp to conceptual art. The exhibition has been curated for the ICA by Polly Staple, the recently appointed director of the Chisenhale Gallery, and includes six gallery-based presentations as well as a special performance in the ICA Theatre.

Download the Dispersion Gallery Guide (PDF, 1MB)