Katie King, Half Bambi, Half Cow at Wilton Way Gallery, Hackney, East London, November 2024 – Katie King’s first solo show Half Bambi, Half Cow has just opened, we’re told her practice “examines contemporary feminine identity and the tensions between what is aesthetically pleasing but morally suspect”, and as the artist notes herself, of the woman she is examining across her work: “This has been an opportunity to imagine the female character I am fascinated with. She is not wholly Bambi or cow, but somewhere in that ironic gap in-between; she is Half-Bambi, Half-Cow.”

A new gallery, second show in the space if we’ve got it right, an excellent space under a small dressmakers shop just off London Fields here in Hackney, the whitewashed space is in the basement, you wouldn’t be able to swing many cats down there, not that anyone should ever swing a cat. Love it, brilliant (tiny) space. “Working exclusively with textiles in her practice as a methodology for image making, King experiments with various fibre manipulations in order to create animated films and still life pieces. Techniques in this show include broomstick pleating, freehand quilting and embroidery on silk, as well as printed cut-out collage”.

“The exhibition features two film works alongside a series of embroidered silks and textile drawings. Made For Duty Overseas (2023) is a noir centred around a packet of menthol vogue cigarettes, in which the protagonist and narrator is intrigued by the allure of a mysterious woman and talk of political espionage. The film, created using cut-out animation style on a multiplane built by the artist, features an original 16 piece orchestral score by Oran Johnson” so do take a seat and take your time (although, must say there is nothing cool or positive about smoking or the pop art imagery of said vile habit, aesthetically pleasing but morally suspect indeed). Hey, smoking as a cool, no, not cool, that aside this is a good looking, “aesthetically pleasing” rather cool basement art show. it is tiny battle to get down those quaint steps, quaint  probably isn’t the right word and neither is cool, the animation is fine and so is the textile art. I guess you can decide how morally suspect it is, there is plenty to explore and digest down here in the peace and quiet of the fine space.    

And yes you can detect the “influence from historical figures and artists such as Lorina Bulwer, Louise Bourgeois and Cindy Sherman”, as “King’s practice examines contemporary feminine identity This is an intriguing show, indeed not wholly Bambi or cow, a rewarding show, not only on the surface level and the delicious use of textiles but also when you dig deeper and search the the statements, the mind, the questions, the challenges. This is a compelling exhibition, the space itself kind of makes it a delight but don’t let that fool you, there is a challenge here, there is a depth, there’s something more than just the delight of the imagery, of the material…. (sw)  

Wilton Way Gallery is found at 61 Wilton Way, Hackney, London E8 1BG. The show runs until 19th December, 2024, in a small basement of a dressmakers shop not far from London Fields, a space that’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am until 5pm. More from the gallery website or their social media

Katie King on Instagram / website

As always, do click on an image to see the whole thing or to run the slide show…