I’M HERE BUT I’M NOT A CAT
with Adonia Bouchehri, Daniel & Clara, Duncan Poulton, Edwin Rostron

Set Kensington
7-17 Ansdell St, London W8 5BN


Preview Thursday 21st September, 6–9pm
Exhibition 22nd September - 1st October 2023 (open 12–6pm daily, closed Monday)


I’M HERE BUT I’M NOT A CAT is a group show which takes its title from a viral video of a Zoom court case, in which a lawyer is unable to disable a filter that makes him appear as a talking cat while he nervously repeats “I’m here live, I am not a cat”. This video seems to encapsulate the condition we all find ourselves in today: an existence dominated by the prominence of the screen and an uneasy blurring of the virtual and the real.

Growing from Zoom conversations between the artists during the pandemic – which dramatically increased our time spent in the immaterial zone of the screen – this show explores the tension between the digital and the material through works that express a desire to reconnect with material reality and be physically present in the world.

I’M HERE BUT I’M NOT A CAT features a group of artists whose strong background in moving image began to expand into other media during the pandemic, each grapples with the dominance of the screen in our lives and the proliferation of digital images, while seeking to also return to the physicality of making and being.

With a shared interest in the tension between imagined and lived realities, Daniel & Clara's and Adonia Bouchehri’s work explores subjective experiences of place – real, imagined and virtual – across a breadth of cultural backgrounds and perspectives. Duncan Poulton’s digital collages bear witness to our hyper-connected, screen-fuelled state of constant disorientation, whilst Edwin Rostron’s intuitive paintings and hand-drawn animations deal with ideas of metamorphosis and multiplicity.

This exhibition includes moving image, sculpture, painting, collage and photographs.

Exhibiting artists:
Adonia Bouchehri https://adoniabouchehri.com
Daniel & Clara https://danielandclara.com
Duncan Poulton http://duncanpoulton.com
Edwin Rostron http://www.edwinrostron.net

Exhibition photography by Max Colson.

Download exhibition floor map and list of works



Exhibition Booklet

The exhibition publication includes an essay by Hector Campbell and interviews with all the artists by Ben Nicholson of ALT/KINO.

Download pdf



The exhibition will be accompanied by several events:


Thurs 21st Sept, 6-9pm @ Set Kensington

Exhibition preview

Join us to celebrate the opening of the exhibition, have a drink and see a new performance by Adonia Bouchehri.

Sat 23rd Sept, 6pm @ Close-up Cinema

Content Anxiety - film screening

Mysterious transmissions, long-forgotten video posts, frozen images lodged in the mind, animation erupting from the unconscious; this selection of films highlights the work of four artists, each operating with a highly distinctive and personal approach. With a shared interest in the tension between imagined and lived realities, the works in this programme explore subjective experiences of space and place – real, imagined and virtual – across a breadth of cultural backgrounds and perspectives.

Followed by a Q&A with Adonia Bouchehri, Daniel & Clara, Duncan Poulton, Edwin Rostron.

Book Here



Sat 23rd Sept, 8pm @ Close-up Cinema

Notes From A Journey - film screening

The first piece in the puzzle of artist Daniel & Clara's Avebury Imaginary project, Notes From a Journey uses images and sounds captured during a journey through the British countryside to Avebury stone circle as the material for an exploration at the edges of human perception and reality. A film that has been described as a “visionary travelogue” and an “experimental folk horror”, Notes from a Journey invites viewers to take a trip through vivid colour fields, foreboding darkness, ancient mysteries and immersive soundscapes.

Book Here



Sun 24th Sept, 2pm @ Set Kensington

Artist talks

Join us for an exhibition walkthrough with exhibiting artists Adonia Bouchehri, Daniel & Clara, Duncan Poulton, Edwin Rostron.

Sun 1st Oct, 12-6pm @ Set Kensington

Finissage

Join us for an informal gathering to celebrate the exhibition and meet the artists.

At 2pm Adonia Bouchehri will present her performance ‘The Mind is Wearing a Mask’, this will be followed by a discussion group with the artists about the themes of the show.