2025 BARTHA CONTEMPORARY LONDON

Threads of Echoes: Clay Ketter & Felipe Mujica
Two person show at Bartha Contemporary, London
September 11 – October 21, 2025

Primeros amaneceres en la tierra (Solentiname), 2019
Hand dyed 100% cotton fabric, acrylic paint, and threadwork
2 sizes: 150 x 82 cm and 180 x 105 cm

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Bartha Contemporary is pleased to announce Threads of Echoes, an exhibition juxtaposing works by Clay Ketter (b. 1961) and Felipe Mujica (b. 1974), on view from September 11 to October 21, 2025. (The exhibition was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances). The exhibition highlights each artist’s collaborative approach and sensitivity to specific local conditions, whether on the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast of America or Isla Mancarrón in Nicaragua.

Swedish-American artist Clay Ketter showcases two photographic works, Bayview 4b and Whispering Pines Drive, from his acclaimed Gulf Coast Slab series. Created in collaboration with photographer Nils Bergendal, these large-scale photographs capture the bare foundations of homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Teetering between found-object aesthetics and meticulously structured compositions, Ketter’s works reveal an unexpected beauty that arises from devastation, honouring the resilience and capturing a moment before renewal.

Felipe Mujica, a Chilean artist, exhibits textile pieces created during his 2019 residency in Isla Mancarrón, Nicaragua. Developed collaboratively with local artisans, Mujica’s hanging “curtains” incorporate hand-dyed fabrics and geometric motifs painted with island craftspeople. These fabric works function as spatial interventions and social artefacts, highlighting Mujica’s ongoing exploration of geometric abstraction and participatory art practices, often rooted in local traditions. Felipe Mujica is represented by Galerie von Bartha in Basel and Proyectos Ultravioleta in Guatemala.

Both artists emphasise partnership in their processes, crafting art that is intricately linked to the communities and environments in which they engage. Threads of Echoes examines how collaborative methodologies profoundly influence contemporary artistic practice, highlighting the creative dialogues among artist, technician, and locale.

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