Olivia Plender’s installation AADIEU ADIEU APA (Goodbye Goodbye Father), at Gasworks, is a further exploration of her interest in the relationships between politics, theatre and the popular press.

A handbill announces that ringside seats will be available to view the public retirement of The Despot emperor in the year 2012, “henceforth ending all Patriarchy,” and posters propose an absurdist play about a coming war between Britain and Iceland.

Plender’s work, which includes graphic novels about 19th century spiritualism, A Stellar Key to the Summerland (2007), and a tortured symbolist artist, The Masterpiece (2002-onwards), looks behind the façade of public movements through to their possible economic and personal motives.

In AADIEU ADIEU APA, the 1924 British Empire exhibition in Wembley, contemporary events like the 2006 sighting of a whale in the Thames river, and the use of anti-terrorist laws to seize Icelandic bank assets, are all satirised and amalgamated into a grand imperialistic narrative. In this narrative she finds parallels between the enterprise of Empire and the enterprise of tourism. In public events celebrated by both enterprises – whether a 20th century World’s Fair exhibition or the 2012 Olympics – there is hierarchical authority at work, attempting to define and consolidate a population for profit.

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AADIEU ADIUE APA, 25 September- 15 November 2009,Gasworks, 155 Vauxhall St, London, SE11

Events held throughout the exhibition:

Thursday 1 October 7-9pm A screening of Oyvind Fahlstrom’s performance Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, 1966 dir Barbro Schultz Lundestam, Introduced By Barbro Schultz Lundestram followed by a conversation with Olivia Plender.

Tuesday 20 October,
7-9pm Present Swedish Stories Part 3:How Can I Resist neoliberal development? A lecture by Petra Bauer.

Thursday 12 November 7-10pm Launch of A Prior Magazine #19 Accompanied by readings, live music and short films.