Going Home is a new exhibition from Bristol-based artist Ashley Loxton, which explores the history of identity, fashion labels and subcultures
“I’ve developed an obsession with the idea of being labelled or owned by these corporations, to the point where I have started to unpick the logos from my own clothes,” says Ashley Loxton, a Bristol-born multi-disciplinary artist whose new show Going Home is the latest exhibition to be presented at Bristol’s 17 Midland Road gallery. Curated by Barney Beech, the show is underpinned by an investigation of identity and consumerism, the exhibition explores how our sense of belonging is formed through subcultures and logos.
Growing up in the 90s, Loxton experienced the height of logomania first hand. While branding initially found its place in fashion as a way to denote wealth and status, it soon became an aesthetic trope in its own right. “There’s a belief in material culture, and a rejection of it. There’s also a feeling of being trapped by external things, and then there’s accepting external things as part of an identity,” Loxton explains. “I started to look at the symbolism of certain brands, and it’s interesting how many of the names and symbols revolve around superiority. For example, a lot of brands used for the Olympics tend to reinforce this desire to be the best... there’s a divisiveness there. Again, I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing to express yourself with labels, but I’ve just developed this ongoing obsession that has been directing elements of my practice.”
When it comes to subcultural affiliations, few footwear brands have as many as Adidas. Since the beginning, it has run through the cultural DNA of communities globally – from early hip-hop and breakdance scenes in the 80s, to British terrace culture. “Those three stripes are iconic stamps on fashion and subculture, and they span out over almost every musical genre and subgenre since the 70s,” says Loxton. “I deliberately made [those pieces] be bold and lairy, as if they had their own personalities. Which was essentially what the three-stripe tracksuit became – an identity within itself, wrapping around your body and taking ownership of the person.”
“I started to look at the symbolism of certain brands, and it’s interesting how many of the names and symbols revolve around superiority... Almost as if these labels we have been brought up on have been asserting their dominance over us” – Ashley Loxton
Loxton’s artworks span a range of styles, from oil and acrylic abstract paintings to a sculptural installation that brings together a collection of sentimental found objects. “The sculpture is autobiographical in a sense,” he explains. “I was trying to categorise, or at least give these individual components their own air time. Almost as if these were pieces of a puzzle, but practically a drop in the ocean when it comes to identity.”
Also on display as part of the show is London-based artist bill daggs’ film, If the rain stops don’t think we gave up on you (viewable below). Based on UK rave subcultures, it makes the perfect accompaniment to Loxton’s work. In a statement about the work, daggs explains that it “is not anchored in a particular time or place and, in that sense, it is a document that is concerned with time travel and blurring the lines of periodical importance in music.”
Reflecting on If the rain stops don’t think we gave up on you, Loxton says, “Everything in that film I saw growing up. Even if some of it was slightly before my time – all of the sound system and breakbeat culture was going strong when I was a teenager. You felt both distinctly separate from the mainstream, whilst at the same time you felt part of your own tribe. The main thing about this film – which relates to my whole consciousness and perception – are the feelings and emotions that surround the uniqueness of underground music, scenes, and culture.”
From reggae and dub to post-punk, electro, hip-hop, trip-hop, jungle, drum’n’bass and dubstep, Bristol – Loxton’s hometown and the site of this exhibition – has long been a locus sanctus of UK musical subcultures. When the artist moved back to the city two years ago, he began to notice a creative DIY aesthetic that seemed to find its way to the surface. “I’m telling you, this is a mad, unique city. It’s love and hate but, ultimately, there isn’t any other city like Bristol. You can feel the heritage – sonically and environmentally. There’s also this rooted counterculture here, which rubs off on my practice. People forget how important Bristol history is to music and art... Bristol is part of my journey from birth, and within my ancestry, so it’s rubbed off on me on many levels.”
Going Home is showing at 17 Midland Road (Bristol BS2 OJT) from February 22 until February 29, 2024. The private view is on Thursday Feb 22, 2024, 7 - 9pm.