IP, DIP, DOGS SH*T
THE KIRKWOOD BROTHERS & PAM SANDWICH
16.09.22 - 18.09.22 FRENCH STREET GALLERY
An exhibition of work by The Kirkwood Brothers and Pam Sandwich, sharing new work that explores themes of childhood and memory through the use of humour, paintings, and dogs.
“Pam's bedroom, September 1995. My First Existential nightmare. Good, bad. Luck, destiny. Right, wrong. Rich, poor. Success, failure. Happy, sad. Higher powers, the meaning of life. Judgement day. Sense of self. Heaven and hell. Expressed via the lens of Pam aged 8.”
For Sandwich, this exhibition presents her work to the public for the very first time, offering a glimpse into the kitsch and unnerving world of Pam Sandwich. Working primarily in installation, sculpture, and model making, Sandwich expresses her vision of fear, loss, and superstition, and the universal childhood realisation of your own mortality, through the medium of the birthday party.
Pam Sandwich is a Glasgow based multidisciplinary artist. Self described as the 'weird kid' from a 'non-art' working class background, Sandwich deeply values the importance of making art accessible to all, free from judgement and barriers. Her work is a sensory journey of nostalgia, surreal storytelling and escapism.
New paintings and textile work by Glasgow based artists The Kirkwood Brothers, Jonny and Jordon, form the other half of this exhibition. Continuing to build upon the central themes of their work; neurodiversity, mental health and humour, the Brothers have collaborated with Sandwich on their mutual interest in popular culture from their childhoods. The brothers utilise text and imagery, often in the form of playful visual puns, to capture snippets of thoughts and memories that are brought forth through conversation between the brothers, evoking their childhood, and their own experiences of disability and mental health.
During the course of the Resilience Programme, the Kirkwood Brothers have used the past six months to explore their individual experiences of disability and depression. The continued rise in the Cost of Living and the frustrations that come with it are the focus of their new work, looking closely at its impact on their mental health and the world around them.
They’ve developed a new body of work, exploring new ways of creating, using textiles to make bold, colourful artworks that compliment a series of paintings, small sculptures and drawings on paper. The residency has afforded them the time, space and funding to reflect, filtering through ideas that come thick and fast during conversations between the two brothers.
This exhibition is the conclusion to a six month period of research and development by the artists, supported by Cabbage through it's Resilience Programme. In addition to funding, the programme offers tailored support to its artists from Cabbage's artist led team. This year, this included Critical Friend sessions with Liv Fontaine and Nina Mdwaba, a Captioning Workshop from Sean Patrick Campbell, and exhibition making support from Jenny Tipton and James Jimbo. More information on the Resilience Programme can be found here.
The exhibition is open 10am - 5pm on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of September, with an opening on Friday 16th 6-8pm. The venue is wheelchair accessible and is a five minute walk from Dalmarnock train station. Please note there is not an accessible toilet at the venue.
