A. Vermin

The artist-run initiative A.Vermin has set up camp in The State, a dingy, wood-panelled drinking establishment. The show, entitled A Stranger Home and curated by Alhena Katsof, invites six artists to respond to the unique venue, encouraging fluid interpretations between works, viewer and space.

Existing underground, the space transports the unfamiliar visitor to somewhere akin to a cabin aboard the Cutty Sark where one would meet for soliciting discussions over thick pints. All the works sit magically within this set, none overtly asserting their presence but residing quietly beside the local drinkers who sup their usual at the bar.

Perusing the room, map and pint in hand, searching for the works hidden amongst the pub’s familiar clutter, I am forced to question almost every object on the floors and shelves. Baldvin Ringsted has delicately covered some of the traditional objects, adding a glistening silver exterior to frames, chair and books. Rather than making associations with the physicality of The State, Jim Colquhoun uses the naming of the space to initiate an investigation into ‘The State of Nature’. A picture of an ape-like man is seen alongside his evolutionary ancestor. Whilst referring to the potential transformation of human states, I can’t help but picture the clientele who, after a long stint in here, embark destination-less into the night, bleary eyed and swaggering.

I did hesitate on entering The State. As the show so precisely titles itself entering the pub is much like creeping into the house of an unknown. The non-local is shunned, so it's easy to be rendered unnerved as to whether you should be there. I advise you to stick it out - once over initial fears and your first drink, there is a well-stocked assortment of curiosities to distract anxieties.