The Pleasure of Misuse

We are pleased to announce 'The Pleasure of Misuse' a group exhibition co-curated by Indira Dyussebayeva-Ziyabek and Maria Hinel and featuring Glen Baxter, Ingrid Berthon-Moine, Appau Junior Boakye–Yiadom, Abraham Cruzvillegas, CFGNY, Melanie Ebenhoch, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Gina Fischli, Graham Gussin, Holly Hendry, Ty Locke, Andy Holden, Jean-Luc Moulène, Amalia Pica, Aziza Shadenova and Richard Wentworth.

“The great virtue of humour is that it is philosophising in action, a bright silver thread in the great duvet of existence” – Simon Critchley, philosopher

Comic possibilities of the everyday abound for the perceptive eye. This exhibition considers the comedy of mundane objects, cases of accidental or deliberate ‘misuse’ that can afford particularly liberating moments of laughter and joy. Stripped of their intended function, familiar objects become manifestly absurd, whilst questioning our own place in the order of things through their ineptitude.

 Click here to read the full press release.

About the Curators

Indira Dyussebayeva-Ziyabek and Maria Hinel are independent curators who met during art history studies at UCL in 2012. Between them, they have curated numerous exhibitions internationally. Indira is running a nomadic arts project, Ainalaiyn Space, that showcases contemporary art from an interdisciplinary perspective. She is also a cofounder of the non-profit organisation IADA, supporting contemporary Central Asian artists for more than ten years. Until 2023, Maria oversaw exhibitions and publications at a major commercial gallery in London, where she worked with many renowned contemporary artists, and has since organised exhibitions with a particular focus on humour, linguistics, and ecology. 

https://mariahinel.com    @mariahinel 

https://ainalaiynspace.com  @ainalaiynspace