By Any Means Necessary

Sam Blackwood, Fjorsk, Gordon Hack, Joanna van Son, Inès Ting & Nicolas Tovar
8th November - 28th November 2024

By Any Means Necessary is both exhibition and critique challenging the traditional boundaries that divide and define artistic practices. It asserts that all art, at its core, originates from a single impulse: the act of marking a blank surface, a universal drive to create and be seen. This shared genesis unites works across mediums, highlighting that, while they may diverge in form and reception, all art exists to claim space and express identity.

Historically, institutions have elevated certain forms, privileging gallery-bound work while relegating practices like tattoo and graffiti to the periphery. By Any Means Necessary interrogates this hierarchy, questioning the authority of those who base artistic value on framing and presentation rather than substance and technique. It contends that the next generation of collector sees a painting as no more valuable than a tattoo or handbag, each being an essential expression of a common creative impulse.

This egalitarian theme finds physical embodiment in the community surrounding Shipton Gallery’s Hackney Wick location—a neighbourhood shaped by constant urban change since the 2012 Olympics. Extending the exhibition beyond the gallery walls, a temporary wooden structure near the station invites unsanctioned contributions from the public, merging the curated exhibition space with the spontaneous energy of the street.

The wall serves as a public canvas, temporarily transforming the area into a dynamic forum that blends structured space with urban expression, illustrating a competition for visibility—not only among artists but among art forms and traditional art platforms, each seeking recognition in an growing cultural marketplace.

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For all enquiries, please email info@shipton.gallery

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Image 1
By Any Means Necessary at Shipton, 2024

Image 2
By Any Means Necessary at Shipton, 2024

Image 3
By Any Means Necessary at Shipton, 2024

Image 4
By Any Means Necessary at Shipton, 2024

Image 5
Sam Blackwood
Three Shopfronts, 2024
Digital print

Image 6
Gordon Hack
Billboard, 2024
Spray paint and airbrush on panel
46 x 61 cm

Image 7
Inés Ting
Imprisoned in my body, 2024
Digital collage of personal and found photos printed on vegan leather layered with acrylic paint.
135 x 254 cm 

Image 8
Fjorsk
Untitled, 2024
Indian ink and acrylic on canvas
65x40cm

Image 9
Sam Blackwood
Untitled (Hatton Garden), 2024
Digital print and cigarette butts

Image 10
Nicolas Tovar
Progressive (Delirium Series)
Oil, diffused dye, adhesive, acrylic, silkscreen, marker, dirt
167.6 x 137.2 cm

Image 11
Gordon Hack
Pound House Ready Mix Concrete, 2023
Spray paint and airbrush on panel
31 x 41 cm

Image 12
Joanna van Son
Figure with Face and Wall
Oil on unprimed linen canvas
45.5 x 120 cm