Lydia Blakeley’s next solo show at Niru Ratnam, Hold On For Dear Life reflects on the corporate capitalist culture of the 1980s and 1990s through the lens of office workers engaging in stress-relief exercises. Inspired by a 1988 stress management book, Blakeley’s paintings depict figures performing stretches amidst plants, evoking a subtle tension between the sterile office world and the possibility of an alternate reality. Through her ambiguous gaze, Blakeley captures the allure and precariousness of this era, where economic globalisation promised endless progress, though cracks in the system were already forming.
Runs from October 2 – November 9, 2024 at Niru Ratnam, London.
