CHARLOTTE
GASH
“He makes us laugh to make us learn. There’s salvation in that.”
- John Lahr,
discussing Joe Orton’s play Loot
#COMMONS #LANGUAGE
#PERFORMANCE #SCULPTURE #VIDEO
Charlotte Gash (b. 1994) is a British artist living and working in Vienna (AT). She studied Sculpture BA at Wimbledon College of Arts (UAL, London) and is currently completing her MA in Performative Kunst (Akademie der Bildender Kunst, Vienna). Gash takes inspiration from humorous, everyday situations, and translates them through the imitation of popular culture, whether it be through the style of a play, TV show, or mockumentary. Gash’s work takes the form of text, sculpture, performance and video.
Breeder or Sucker, The Tv Show (2022)
Video
Breeder or Sucker; The TV Show is a 40 minute video work, in the style of a TV show. The production is an art school based narrative, following the lives and failures of art school students. The viewer watches a group of young people who are struggling to secure an education; to be offered exhibitions; and to get laid. Each episode is played out through the eyes of Charlotte
Gash, a character based on the artist’s semi-autobiographical experiences, as she attempts to make a TV show about being in art school, but distractions are slowing her down. The Breeder or Sucker; the TV show delves into the mundane “everyday” aspects of being an artist, overly dramatising the indulgent lifestyle of procrastinating and partying. The series is made up of 10 scripts, which will be staggered into 10 “episodes,” each 30-40 minutes in length. The scripts satirises situations of privilege and failure within the art school system, whilst unapologetically commenting on female sexuality
I Might As Well Be A Lemon (2019)
Performance / Video
I Might as Well be a Lemon is a 50 minute performance which is based on the structure of a play. It follows the Character Charlotte, whom finds herself in situations where she “feels like a lemon”; due to being talked over, patronised, and ignored. The set design and props imitates real life objects made from cardboard and plaster, accompanied with painted canvas backdrops for each scene.
The documentation of the Performance is in the form of photographs, as well as a trailer in the form of a Behind the Scenes mockumentary style video work. Behind the Scenes imitates the confidence and delusion which some artists portray when discussing their work.
Gash has adapted the script from a documentary by male artist Adam Green, called Aladdin: Behind the Scenes. Gash is fascinated by the way Adam Green describes himself as a genius and creator of “ready-made” aesthetic. Gash uses the voices of the performers in the play to speak through the cardboard props, to accentuate the absurdity.
Photos: © Ursula Maria Probst
Breeder or Sucker (2019)
Performance / Video
Breeder or Sucker is a Performance in the style of a play, which follows art students finding openings; drugs and relationships. The performance is about an hour and a half long. The documentation is executed in the form of photo documentation, and a video in the style of a movie trailer.
Originating as a script, the characters perform with the text whilst interacting with the cardboard and plaster stage design. The narrative follows Charlotte and her friends attend openings, discuss art, texts, and sex. The characters discuss typical topics that white middle class art students would, and later sexual encounters.
Gash uses a humorous approach to highlight situations of dominance and power between the sexes, most notably in the “Orgasm Support Groups.” Inspired by the artists personal experiences, Breeder or Sucker attempts to satirise certain behaviours within the artistic cultural sphere, and the art world in general.