Stanley Picker Gallery is pleased to be hosting A Hybrid Nation “The animal therefore I am” Derrida, an interdisciplinary exhibition by Spike Mclarrity.
The Hybrid Nation Is part of my practice based research, embodying hybrids as research, collaborating with a photographer and a musician, “The researcher” becoming the subject and a muse for external creativity of others, which has manifested through the work of the photographer Arnhel de Serra and the musician Barry Andrews. Underneath the exterior of God and the Devil you will find white rabbit.
My research “The Rabbit Hole as a Metaphor” derives from my initial exploration of embodying the art myth and folklore of the rabbit. The cabinets displayed are the beginning of an academic dissection of white rabbit, which has been an important aspect of my performances over the last eleven years as I have embodied and have become to symbolised the myth of first of the month, where you can find me sitting on a wall in the early hours between 7am-8am welcoming the new month ahead as a large white rabbit. Over the last two years I have become deeply lost down the rabbit hole, with more questions than answers. This exhibition is a symbolic closure as I set off on another journey to explore the many burrows and to attempt to answer many questions I am exploring through my research. Working alongside Barry to create a space for the hybrids to belong as part of a mythical band within the band, has certainly been a challenge. The video directed by Hoodah was filmed at my home and at Enfield films studios.
Spike Mclarrity
Spike is a second year Post Grad Research Student based at Kingston University. His underlying research is exploring the hybridity of national and cultural identity through live performing of hybrids as a methodology. Spike studied at Kingston University where he did a foundation and his BA in fine art, keeping live art at the core centre of his practice and graduated in 2010, it was literally after his graduation from Kingston he began the journey of becoming white rabbit. He did his Masters at Brighton University in performance and visual practices, where he graduated in 2012 with a distinction. Since leaving University Spike and White Rabbit have travelled around the world performing in Japan, China, France, Pakistan, Germany, Serbia and across Europe building up an international reputation as a performance artist. In a small village called Odzaci two hours from Belgrade in Serbia, Spike funds and facilitates an open art day “The Day of the Rabbit” giving local families the opportunity to attend a free open art workshop, providing all the material. In 2016 Spike was outed by the UK press as being the artist behind the mask of the rabbit, which brought world wide attention and recognition as a conceptual live performance artist. During the pandemic Spike had to rethink his future, and published a book celebrating ten years of The Barnes White Rabbit, in the same year he was accepted at Kingston University to begin his journey as a PhD student. www.spikemclarrity.com
Arnhel de Serra
Arnhel has been a freelance reportage photographer for over 20 years,and in that time his work has taken him to more than 50 countries. He has had work published in editorial,corporate and advertising markets for clients such as The National Trust,The National Portrait Gallery,BP,Canon,The Sunday Times,The Saturday Independent,Stern Magazine,The Saturday Telegraph,The Guardian,and Saatchi and Saatchi. www.arnheldesserra.com
Barry Andrews
Barry is a musician, and keyboardist, formerly of the bands XTC and League of Gentlemen, who co-founded Shriekback. He has collaborated with Brian Eno on several projects, and guesting on keyboards for the 2005 album Another Day on Earth. Andrews also played on the 1980 Iggy Pop album Soldier with David Bowie, Ivan Kral, Glen Matlock and Klaus Kruger. www.shriekback.com