Burners

Alessandro Albanese is pleased to present Burners, a solo exhibition by Toby Christian. This large-scale installation includes a series of new stone carvings made by the artist during the inaugural Matera Residency, 2019. Alluding to provisional, untraceable and disposable mobile phone devices, the title of the exhibition echoes the dual senses of innovation and redundancy which pervade the exhibition.

Toby Christian’s multifaceted practice incorporates a wide range of media including writing, installation, sculpture, painting and animation. Using text within an expanded sculptural field, he writes in an attempt to describe objects he sees, visits and collects - from rare museological artefacts to more quotidian, disposable items. Sculptural and wall-mounted works are produced episodically, made in relation to and stemming from his ongoing writing. Constellating around his detailed written descriptions are palimpsest- records of objects and bodies, plans and models for made-up places, contorting typographical characters and prototyped forms for living and working.