Gilda's House

Corinna Spencer's visit to Gilda's House is all going swimmingly until she realises she's being watched.

 

There is an intensity to the sparseness of the interior of Gilda's House. Rather than being crammed with images and memorials to a person, there are instead fleeting glances in the corner of one's eyes of lives still being lived. The artist, Sue Cohen says that these images are telling us about people on the outskirts of life. 

In the work I saw the image of someone who has fallen through the cracks, a story of endurance and longing, a life fought hard for in the dark corners of a large handmade structure – representative of a whole life journey rather than a dwelling.

As the floor creaks and I acclimatise to the unsteady tilt of my tour inside the house, I notice the collected materials used for construction, cardboard and odd pieces of furniture. A mirror and doors are heavy with their own history. They have travelled through time and hands to find themeselves in Gilda's House. 

A bright light illuminates one painting at a time – sometimes touching, sometimes whistful or hinting at danger. A painting of a doll (which I initially read as a child) is particularly jarring, stopping me in my tracks and staying with me long after leaving the exhibition.

Corinna Spencer

Sue Cohen
Gilda's House
28 Feb - 22 March 2014
Enclave Tenant Programme
London 
SE8 4NT