Not A Champagne Life

With a nod to the recent all-female exhibition in a male-run corporate space, Not a Champagne Life brings together the works of three emerging artists in a female-run independent gallery, and addresses the subjects of social order, gender equality and freedom of speech.

Not a Champagne Life features three-dimensional works by Emma Elliott, Penelope Harrall and Ian Wolter, and makes reference to the luxury lifestyles enjoyed by a privileged minority compared to the increasing burden of austerity on the majority of people.

The selected works combine strong figurative and symbolic elements with performance, sound and movement while commenting on the hidden metaphor of each respective medium: Ian Wolter's busts implying status and authority; the assumption of aesthetic beauty in bronze as illustrated by Emma Elliott; while the items of feminine care at the core of Penelope Harrall's work are generally expected to be hidden from view.

The launch event and private view on 21 April will include a live performance by Penelope Harrall, and the exhibition will be closing with a panel discussion on the artists' respective approach to themes of social and political relevance on May Day, a date of pre-Christian significance more recently observed as Labour Day across the world.