Kira Freije

Consciously moving between structures of poetry and sculpture, Freije gathers pieces of scrap metal, discarded objects, or offcuts from her studio while simultaneously collecting words or loose phrases jotted down in her sketchbook. She fuses these two crafts together in her installations. Assemblages of steel figures, glass blown lamps, and ruinous forms are scattered through a space with poetic titles binding these concrete constellations through a narrative web. The focus on figure links her with sculptors such as Caroline Mesquita or Anthony Gormley, while the disheveled, decaying quality of Freije’s alloy bodies sets her apart. Like a theatre set frozen on stage or a historic moment halted by a spell, an unsettling sense of longing pulses through Freije’s tableaux. Cast metal figures kneel in penance with their heads in their hands, or brittle limbs reach out in ecstasy, their mouths crying out in silence. This drama is undeniably heightened through Freije’s dependency on medieval material processes such as metal casting, forging and glass blowing, which all leave textural scars on the surface of these pieces. The pairing of laboured forms with lyrical titles fuses the tension between tenderness and brutality, a common theme in Freije’s work. The theatricality and finite nature of these scenes speaks to the fragility of our current times in terms of the precarity of planetary and societal conditions, whilst still having space for rejoicing and communing. All is not lost in Freije’s world. ...

The Approach is co-directed by Jake Miller and Emma Robertson. Located in Bethnal Green above The Approach Tavern, for over twenty years it has operated an internationally recognised programme from its East London base. The gallery is known for discovering artists and establishing their careers as well as making inter-generational curated group shows a strong focus. The list of represented artists includes the Estates of important overlooked female artists Heidi Bucher and Maria Pinińska Bereś, as well as seminal British collage artist John Stezaker, together with established and emerging artists including Magali Reus, Peter Davies, Lisa Oppenheim, Sandra Mujinga, Pam Evelyn, Sara Cwynar, Sam Windett and Caitlin Keogh. Over the years the gallery has operated parallel programmes in additional gallery spaces in London’s West End (The Approach W1) and in Shoreditch (The Reliance). The gallery is currently based solely in its original East End location and continues to expand its programme, showcasing its represented artists in the main gallery space, and both represented and non-represented artists in The Annexe, a smaller, more experimental space at the back of the building. ...