• MESMER is the inaugural exhibition of temporarycontemporary, a new 4500 sq ft artist-run contemporary art space housed in a converted distillery right next to Deptford Bridge DLR. The South London space will host exhibitions and studios in its exciting industrial setting during a year long program. Mesmer uses as its starting point the notion of the obsessive and hypnotic gaze and how it is central to the production and reception of an artwork. How does the gaze of the artist in what they see and what they make become the gaze of the viewer as the artwork enters their world... Through a compulsive act of looking specific to their media, each artist in this eclectic mix transmits their own personal agenda. Francis Lamb's video works, for example, stitch together countless fragments of film to create sumptuous fantasy worlds whilst Laurie Hill's intensely animated characters seem to seep from an altogether more brooding place. Presented together for the first time are new and rarely seen works in video (Peter Fillingham, Paul O'Neill), neon (Jonathan Allen, Howard Dyke), installation (Luke Oxley, Seb Patane, Giles Round, Lindsay Seers, Mark Titchner, Jen Wu), drawing (Diann Bauer), and painting (Ian Dawson, David Lock, Cedar Lewisohn) combined with specially commissioned music and video performances for the opening night. * The word 'mesmerise' comes from Dr. Franz Mesmer, a late 18th century physician of the Paris court who first developed modern day hypnotism, or 'animal magnetism' as he called it. Although possibly a charlatan, his theatrical events were well documented and it was believed he could cause sleeping patients to convulse or dance.

• For up-to-date information and press material please e-mail: info@tempcontemp.co.uk

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