PRETTY DOOMED

 ‘Pretty Doomed, is an unconventional art fair & exhibition presented by Ugly Duck & Queer Art Projects, which seeks to challenge the sustainability of the underground and queer art worlds. The first edition took place from the 12th to the 15th of October 2023.

Ugly Duck is one of the few independent art venues that showcases queer and alternative art in London. Artist-led Queer Art Projects has the only online art gallery dedicated solely to queer art: qap.digital. Together, they have united their creative forces to offer you a glimpse into the world of outsider art during Frieze week.

‘Pretty Doomed’ has emerged from the intricate interplay of various emotions: the feelings of doom, unsustainability, exhaustion, and financial constraint juxtaposed with the sensations of fabulousness, queerness, vitality, and alignment with our core values. Our aim is to scrutinise the sustainability of our art community, explore new economic possibilities, foster mutual support, and extend an invitation to audiences, collectors, and friends to discover artists and their works, potentially making acquisitions. ‘Pretty Doomed’ will feature a group exhibition in the format of an art fair where each artworks will be on sale and a three-day program of performances, artist talks, discussions & conversations, and film screenings. 

Get ready to immerse yourself in a diverse array of artists working across mediums, all set to question, or even showcase, the sustainability of queer art and independant art spaces.

The exhibition will be set across four different spaces giving the audience the rare opportunity to discover all floors of Ugly Duck’s former Victorian factory.

Programme:

Thursday 12th October – Opening Night

6.30pm: Performance by Benjamin Sebastian (Garage, ground floor)

7.45pm: Deen Atger & Queer Art Project (hub, ground floor + BSL interpreted)

8.00 pm: Performance by Alicia Radage (Garage, ground floor)

8.30 pm: Performance by Clementine Bedos (Garage, ground floor)

8.45 pm: DJ’s  (Garage, ground floor)

9.30: Closing

Friday 13th October

4.00 pm: Artist talk with Tina Kohlmann (Hub, ground floor)

4.15 pm: Artist talk with Nicky Broekhuysen (Hub, ground floor)

5.00 pm: Artist talk with Youngsook Choi (Hub, ground floor)

5.30 pm: Performance by Mijke van der Drift (Hub, ground floor)

6.00 pm: Relaxed exhibition tour

7.00 pm: Anti // Doomed feast – Vegan diner experience by BB Kitchen ( More info here ) (Hub, ground floor)

9.30 pm: closing

Saturday 14th October

3.00 pm: Performance by InXestuous Sisters (Hub, ground floor)
4.00 pm: Conversation / Archiving performance art  (Hub, ground floor)
5.30 pm: Performance by Tuna Erdem (Hub ground floor)
6.00 pm: Conversation / The Freedom of Doom with Babetheory and Deen Atger (Hub, ground floor) 

7.00 pm: Performance by Elijas Grybe (Hub, ground floor)

Accessibility – Full access document here 

Ugly Duck’s ground floor HUB and GARAGE are both located on the ground floor and are wheelchair accessible. The access route for wheelchair users is through the car park into the Garage. We have one fully accessible toilet, and all toilets are gender-neutral.

All artists will have work downstairs, the upper floors will present collection of past works from exhibiting artist. Ugly Duck and Queer Art Project will provide alternative video and image documentation for individuals who may not be able to access the first and top floors. 

There are benches and chairs available in the space for seating. If you require assistance for your visit to Ugly Duck, please contact us at general@uglyduck.org.uk, and we will do our best to help you plan your visit. Ugly Duck is operated by a team of queer and queer ally staff, all of whom have received basic training in inclusivity and accessibility.

We acknowledge, regret and sincerely apologise for the lack of accessibility to this exhibition and its events

Collaborators and Participating Artists

For ‘Pretty Doomed,’ Ugly Duck and Queer Art Projects are collaborating with VSSL, Kawai Agency, ]performance s p a c e [, qap.digital, Carefuffle, and independent artists and collectives. More collaborators will be announced on our social media and web pages soon.

Niya B, Mustafa Boğa, Nicky Broekhuysen, Elija Grybe, Nilbar Güreş, Chris Hawkes, Şafak Şule Kemancı, Tina Kohlmann, Adam Moore, Mitchell Moreno, Katarzyna Perlak, Alicia Radage, Sophie Seita, Victoria Suvoroff, Erdem Taşdelen, Funa Ye, ]performance s p a c e [ archive (keioui keijaun thomas, Bean), Benjamin Sebastian, Özlem Ünlü, Youngsook Choi, Tuna Erdem, Istanbul Queer Art Collective, Francis Whorrall-Campbell, Imogen Cleverley, Puer Deorum, Abigail McGinley, Erin Holly, Anya Palamartscuk, Magda Onatra, Ruiji Han, Hazel Blair, H. Alix Mourrier, Kasra Jalilipour, Feryel Atek, Susannah Pal, Rowan R, Peggy Huang, Daniel Felstead, Muzi, Finn Dovey, Bart Seng Wen Long, Yiwen Li, Chaney Diao, Juliusz Grabianski,  Laura Kazaroff, Thom Grog, Pamela  Enyonu and more to be announced.

Image list & credits

Abigail McGinley, Double Trouble, 2021, courtesy of the artist

Imogen Cleverley, Tough Stuff from the series Coming to Power, 2023, courtesy of the artist

Feryel Atek, Love Cosmogony, 2023 courtesy of the artis\\t