Overview:

Strange Developments presents the work of ten artists, four working in London and six working in America, who have turned their attention to the strangeness inherent in everyday life.

The routine behavior and the unremarkable fantasy lives of ordinary people provide these artists with unexpectedly rich material. These conventional behavioural and thought patterns may not be especially notable but they can be just as fascinating as the inner lives of the nonconformists and social outcasts who inspired an earlier generation of artists. This renewed interest in the strange behaviour that one can extract from popular culture contrasts with the focus on mediazation and iconic imagery that instructed many artists in the 1980s.

The artists in this exhibition are revisiting some of the issues explored by the body art and performance art movements of the early 1970s, fusing this approach with the tradition of Pop Art. One can sense the influence of Vito Acconci and Gilbert and George as well as the heritage of Andy Warhol and Richard Hamilton.

In addition to trying to articulate a new artistic direction, this exhibition also attempts to present the work of the English and American artists whose work has taken the strongest departures or had the greatest impact on the younger art world during the past year.

Artists in the exhibition include Janine Antoni, Rachel Evans, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Simon Linke, Paul McCarthy, Marc Quinn, Charles Ray, Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith. The exhibition was curated by Jeffrey Deitch.