Exhibitions
'Englishness is a Moving Target' by Chris Alton at Studio KIND.
Including ‘English Disco Lovers’ and other key works, ‘Englishness is a Moving Target’ brings together a selection of artworks from the last 9 years.
Chris Alton is an artist and curator. He grew up in Braunton, and attended Southmead School, Braunton School, and North Devon College. Skateboarding at Braunton Bowl and attending Quaker Meeting in Barnstaple have played a key role in shaping his life and his work.
Chris's work addresses the interconnected nature of prevailing social, political, economic and environmental conditions. In 2012, he founded English Disco Lovers (EDL), an anti-fascist, pro-disco group, which looked to reclaim the EDL acronym of the English Defence League. Drawing upon the history and etymology of disco, as a site of musical resistance, he redeployed the genre in opposition to a contemporary iteration of fascism.
Other recent projects include What Mortals Henceforth Shall Our Power Adore, a video essay that frames the trident as a symbol of colonial intent. The work draws connections between classical mythology, colonialism, nuclear weapons and contemporary tax avoidance.
'The exhibition probes the unfixed nature of Englishness, asking questions of our collective history, values, and symbols.
The English Disco Lovers' deployment of wit and fun as weapons against belligerent xenophobia is a fine tribute to disco's subversive utopian vision.’ Dorian Lynskey, The Guardian, Feb 2013.
Studio KIND. is a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Braunton, North Devon, and presents the work of both local and national, early-career and established artists through an ambitious and diverse programme of exhibitions and events, curated to excite imaginations, challenge perceptions and create connections.
Chris's work addresses the interconnected nature of prevailing social, political, economic and environmental conditions. In 2012, he founded English Disco Lovers (EDL), an anti-fascist, pro-disco group, which looked to reclaim the EDL acronym of the English Defence League. Drawing upon the history and etymology of disco, as a site of musical resistance, he redeployed the genre in opposition to a contemporary iteration of fascism.
Other recent projects include What Mortals Henceforth Shall Our Power Adore, a video essay that frames the trident as a symbol of colonial intent. The work draws connections between classical mythology, colonialism, nuclear weapons and contemporary tax avoidance.
'The exhibition probes the unfixed nature of Englishness, asking questions of our collective history, values, and symbols.
The English Disco Lovers' deployment of wit and fun as weapons against belligerent xenophobia is a fine tribute to disco's subversive utopian vision.’ Dorian Lynskey, The Guardian, Feb 2013.
Studio KIND. is a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Braunton, North Devon, and presents the work of both local and national, early-career and established artists through an ambitious and diverse programme of exhibitions and events, curated to excite imaginations, challenge perceptions and create connections.
