At Your Service Curated by Cylena Simonds April 16, 2009

The David Roberts Art Foundation is delighted to launch its Curators’ Series with its first guest curator, Cylena Simonds. The Curators’ Series aims to support international curators with unique and experimental vision by commissioning projects for the Foundation. Cylena Simonds, an American curator based in London, will present the group exhibition At Your Service.

At Your Service engages the concept and dynamics of the service and hospitality industries in today’s political and social climate and brings together a wide range of artwork from emerging international artists.
Simonds writes “Economic migrants in Britain (as well as the rest of Europe) have changed significantly over the past 50 years. Yet what they have in common is that their first, and often only, points of entry into employment are via the service industries. Many contemporary art practices engage in or reflect services that challenge our perceptions of who performs the roles of host and guest.”

At Your Service examines aspects of service industries such as building construction, cleaning and catering as a way of addressing concepts of belonging, patterns of migration and the less-than-distinct roles of host/guest and native/foreigner. The artworks investigate themes within service labour such as routine, invisibility and the mundane. Juxtaposed with these works are projects that explore the notion of contemporary art practice as a service to the public, asking us to examine the kinds of interactions, expectations and desires we take on.

The work in At Your Service ranges from sculptural objects to photography and video as well as featuring specially commissioned performances taking place both within the gallery and in public locations. The Foundation is glad to have contributed to a number of these productions. Gaia Tedone, Assistant Curator, David Roberts Art Foundation, assists Cylena Simonds with the exhibition.

Official Website: http://www.davidrobertsartfoundation.com