‘Through the Looking Glass’ is the first solo exhibit of Eva Lauterbach, an art student of Kunsthochschule Mainz, Germany. Her collection of photographs, video and prints are on display at the House Gallery in Camberwell until this Saturday, 3 August.
The free exhibition is comprised of many Alice in Wonderland and fairytale inspired photos. Lauterbach’s work includes a wide variety of mediums and sizes. “1900″ is a tiny photograph in a wood frame and the two Lolita photographs have been blown up to life-size proportions and printed on aluminum. My personal favorite is the photograph ‘Alice.’ It has a very whimsical feel and I like the use of motion to blur her dress.
One of the most interesting pieces was the video “Manheimer Gitter.” A black and white video is shown on a projector in the room adjacent to the main gallery downstairs. The muffled audio draws you into watch a scene of people walking through lattices. Their destination is unknown and their movements have been slowed down, so it looks as if they are walking a dream. If you look closely, you can notice that the characters are wearing strange costumes and accessories. It looks as if they are playing dress up or going to the circus. The slow motion and the indistinguishable audio leave the viewer with a sense of mystery. Where are they going and why?
Supporting local and emerging artists is one of the main missions of House Gallery. They place emphasis on artists being able to experiment with the work they show in a professional environment. The gallery is holding a series of printing workshops and therefore will be closed from the 4th-22nd of August. The next exhibition starts on 23 August and is titles ‘Birdhouse Presents.’ It is a collection of works from British photographers exploring the theme of “home.”
House Gallery and cafe are located at 70 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8QZ. The gallery is open from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm Monday-Saturday.
