Marvin Gaye Chetwynd

Hermitos Children 2

Taking place during the gallery’s twentieth anniversary year, Studio Voltaire presented an exhibition by Turner Prize-nominated Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, the artist’s first solo presentations to take place in a public gallery in London.

Chetwynd’s work Hermitos Children 2 was at the time the artist’s largest film commission to date. Chetwynd has become well known for her carnivalesque live performances, which feature homemade costumes and a varying ensemble of friends and family. These performances share elements of the bawdy anarchy of sixteenth-century wandering troupes, foregrounding key moments from art history and cultural production.

Hermitos Children is an ongoing project that takes the form of an experimental television crime drama. Each episode follows female detective Joan Shipman as she uncovers and solves sex-crimes. The film combines staged cinematic sequences with footage of live performances. Rather than documenting events chronologically, Chetwynd coheres both scripted and live elements into a single overarching narrative. Filming for Hermitos Children 2 took place in London, Nottingham, Gothenburg, Gozo, Glasgow and Australia. Hermitos Children 2 was presented in the gallery within a large-scale installation, incorporating locations and props from filming.

Hermitos Children 2 follows a long-standing collaborative relationship between Studio Voltaire and Chetwynd, having worked together on multiple projects since 2005. This film is a sequel to Hermitos Children, the pilot episode (2008), which was first presented at Altermodern, the fourth Tate Triennial (2009) and subsequently acquired by The Tate Collection.

Supported by the Arts Council England and Australian Council for the Arts. With kind assistance from The Marvin Gaye Chetwynd Supporters Circle: Vanessa Branson, Sadie Coles HQ, London; Massimo De Carlo, London/Milan; Joanna Mackiewicz-Gemes and Silka Rittson-Thomas. Special thanks to those who donated to The Marvin Gaye Chetwynd Kickstarter campaign.

  1. Listen Up! was a live recorded performance - referencing Catwoman and Minoan bull-leaping, with live aerialists and a drumming ensemble - the elements from which were included in the final cut of the film Hermitos Children 2. Attendees of the event were invited by Chetwynd and her troupe to become part of the performance by taking part in The Iron Age Pasta Workshop in which guests presented their own handmade pasta necklaces to The Discerning Eye, an intimidating character within Chetywnd’s cast of fantastic beings.

  2. Marvin Gaye Chetwynd formerly known as Spartacus Chetwynd, later known as Lali Chetwynd and now known as Monster Chetwynd (b. 1971, London), was a former studio member and has a close relationship to Studio Voltaire. Recent solo exhibitions include: MASSIMODECARLO, Paris (2023), Sadie Coles HQ, London (2022) and Konsthall C, Stockholm (2021). They were nominated for Beck’s Futures in 2005 and has previously staged performances at Gasworks, London (2004) and Tate Britain, London (2003). Chetwynd is represented by Sadie Coles HQ, MASSIMODECARLO and Galerie Gregor Staiger.

  3. Film:

    Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Hermitos Children 2, 2014, 32:38 mins. A Studio Voltaire commission. Courtesy of the artist, Sadie Coles HQ, London and Massimo De Carlo, London/Milan.

    Installation:

    Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Hermitos Children 2, 2014. Installation View, Studio Voltaire, London. A Studio Voltaire commission. Courtesy of the artist, Sadie Coles HQ, London and Massimo De Carlo, London/Milan. Credit Andy Keate.

    Performance:

    Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Listen Up!, 2014. Performance, 06 September 2014, Studio Voltaire, London. A Studio Voltaire commission. Courtesy of the artist, Sadie Coles HQ, London and Massimo De Carlo, London/Milan. Photo: Tom Carter.

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