Virga Ozone is a new programme of free online artist talks at Virga Gallery.

Reptiles in Space brings together the salient themes of Richard Ducker’s practice and discusses these through the examples of 4 exhibitions. The most predominant theme in Richard’s work is one of displacement and dislocation in both time and place. While the subject matter varies, the language often refers to or uses sci-fi cinematic tropes as visual reference points for his work. These tropes are juxtaposed with text or narration derived from extracts from religious cults, or more recently the phenomenon of conspiracy theories. This strategy pinpoints anxieties that have been building in Western societies since the Cold War of information overload, over-reliance on nostalgia, and the breakdown of trust in social institutions.

Richard’s practice has brought together a wide variety of processes: sculpture-installation, sound, wall text, drawing and video, and juxtaposed these discrete elements to suggest narratives of displacement, exploring multiple positions of authorship. Since 2018, Richard has increasingly concentrated on film as his primary medium in which he has continued to develop and explore these themes. 

Since gaining his MA from Goldsmiths in 1991, Richard has exhibited widely throughout the UK and internationally, including: Kettles Yard, Cambridge; Royal Academy, Edinburgh; Mappin Gallery, Sheffield; The Kitchen, New York; The Yard Gallery, Nottingham; Katherine E Nash Gallery, Minnesota, USA; Venice Biennale (off-site); and in London: Serpentine Gallery; Flowers Central; Cell Project Space; CGP; Anthony Reynolds Gallery; Angus-Hughes Gallery; Coleman Projects; Dalla Rosa Gallery; Arthouse1, Thames Side Studios, Cable-Depot, Empathy & Risk, and Bobinska Brownlee Gallery.

Book your place now and join us on 1 September at 5:30pm UK-time for this fascinating discussion with Richard Ducker!