Billy Fraser and Mitch Vowles: Wishbone

About the exhibition

The ‘Wishbone’ analogy is a quintessentially British concept, the folkloric finale to a traditional Sunday chicken dinner. A performative event that requires two people, the accepted narrative being that the puller who receives the larger part after the break makes a wish. A completely collaborative event, however one resulting in a victor and a loser. On one hand, it can provide momentary loss and disappointment, however, this is outweighed by the hope, luck and optimism garnered by the winner. Superstition of this nature seeks a positive outcome, as the momentary, nonsensical, chance act is overlooked in favour of the far greater ambition and aspiration. Unbroken, therefore, the wishbone becomes the muse that embodies hope, potential, optimism, symmetry & togetherness.

Billy Fraser’s artistic timeline is one of fact and fiction, contradiction and clarity. The artist’s practice combines material innovation and experimentation with a deep-rooted fascination for expanded linear narratives. Existing within both a historical timeline and that of subjective experience, Fraser’s artworks seek to speculate on, and investigate, the majestic epoch-making events of the natural, industrial, technological and nuclear eras. Past, present and future. Solemnity and absurdity collide in works that mine both the pop-cultural and socio-historical context of human achievements, as well as Fraser’s own memories of wonder and awe. Primed fireworks, prize goldfish and space exploration are at once celebrated, subverted and undermined, culminating in artworks that both tantalise the viewer visually and rewards them upon further contemplation.

Mitch Vowles’ practice utilises repurposed and recontextualised found objects, presented in such a way as to question their cultural significance. Through investigating the presupposed status and inherent associations of objects such as snooker tables or Levi jeans, Vowles elevates these previously mundane or overlooked objects by imbuing them with a fresh dialogue that reflects his own personal memories, working-class upbring and social standing. Additionally, the artworks address wider cultural concerns surrounding British identity, subculture and the class system, challenging conventional artistic forms and preconceived societal notions of ‘art’ or ‘the artist’ by drawing attention to colloquial spaces and symbols of the working-class and demonstrating art’s accessibility and potential for social mobility.

Billy Fraser

Lives and works in London. Fraser graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2017.

Recent selected exhibitions include: And Here You Are, Holding On (Two-Person Exhibition, w. Milo Creese) Well Projects (Margate, 2020), HOUSE §1 (Group Exhibition) Collective Ending HQ (London, 2020), Ancient Deities (Group Exhibition) Arusha Gallery (Edinburgh,2020), ABSINTHE §1, 2 & 3 (Group Exhibitions, co-organised with Charlie Mills & James Capper) Spit and Sawdust (London, 2019).

Fraser is a founding member of Collective Ending HQ, a collectively run studio and gallery complex in Deptford, South East London.

Mitch Vowles

Lives and works in London. Vowles graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2018.

Recent selected exhibitions include: Sports Casual (Group Exhibition) at Palfrey (London, 2021), Old Friends, New Friends (Group Exhibition) at Collective Ending HQ (London, 2021), History’s Shadow Marks the Beginning (Group Exhibition) at Grove Collective (London, 2021), i miss you FRANK OCEAN (Two-Person Exhibition w. Cora Sehgal Cuthbert) at Acme Studios (London, 2019), Word of Mouth (Two-Person Exhibition w. Morgan Tipping) at SET Bermondsey (London, 2019).

Vowles is a recipient of the Royal Society of Sculptor’s 2020 Gilbert Bayes Award, SPACE Studio’s 2021 Artist Award & Acme Studio’s 2018/19 Jonathan Harvey Award.

Hector Campbell

Lives and works in London. Campbell graduated with a BA in Art History from the University of Bristol in 2018.

Recent selected exhibitions include: Old Friends, New Friends (Group Exhibition, co-organised with Billy Fraser) Collective Ending HQ (London, 2021), Elliot Fox, Idol Hands (Solo Exhibition, Curator) Platform Southwark (London, 2020), HOUSE §1 (Group Exhibition, co-organised with Charlie Mills & Georgia Stephenson) Collective Ending HQ (London, 2020), India Nielsen & Yulia Iosilzon, RedivideЯ (Two-Person Exhibition, Curator) Platform Southwark (London, 2020, Young London Painters (Group Exhibition, Curator) Arthill Gallery (London, 2018).

Campbell is a founding member of Collective Ending HQ, a collectively run studio and gallery complex in Deptford, South East London.