Venue
APT Gallery
Starts
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Ends
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Address
Harold Wharf, 6 Creekside, Deptford, London SE8 4SA
Location
London
Organiser
www.aptstudios.org/exhibitions2324-countryestatecouncilestate

Steve Burden’s work investigates ancestry and heritage. Born in a Deptford council flat and going on to complete a degree at Goldsmiths, Burden has always butted against the inherent classicism of art higher education. His most recent body of work is a response to researching his DNA and finding a link to 11th-century Norman Monarchy, prompting him to think about land ownership and the birth of the class system.

His work shows the thin veil between class divides, how a few centuries can move a family from castle to council estate. The work blurs the line between figuration and abstraction, the energy of application noticeable in Burden’s fluid, lyrical marks. This blending of materials mirrors his breaking of boundaries in a socially constructed hierarchy. In Burden’s work, we see a questioning of the status quo, handled with defiance and playfulness in equal measure. Text by Kate Reeve-Edwards

www.steveburden.co.uk