An exhibition by Paul Tecklenberg LG and David Redfern LG. Thurs 4 June – Sun 7 June.
hARTSlane Gallery, 17 Harts Lane, London SE14 5UP
Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th June
11:00 – 18:00 daily
Press Private View, Thursday 4th June 18:00 – 19:00
Exhibition Private View, Friday 5th June 18:00 – 20:00
Artists’ talks, Sunday 7th June 15:00
hARTSlane Gallery is set to host an electrifying new exhibition bringing together two compelling contemporary voices: Paul Tecklenberg and David Redfern. Both artists, members of The London Group and alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art, but not at the same time, present a dynamic body of work that sits at the intersection of myth and method, magic and measurement. This exhibition transforms the gallery’s evocative, “battered-barn” interior into a site of collision—where worn textures and raw spatial character amplify the conceptual tensions within the work. The setting is no passive container; it is an active participant, echoing the artists’ fascination with transformation, materiality and the poetry of objects.
Tecklenberg and Redfern share a distinctive approach rooted in duality. On one hand, their work draws deeply from belief systems—alchemy, folklore, storytelling and mythologies that have shaped human understanding for centuries. On the other, it engages rigorously with the frameworks of science: objectivity, rational inquiry and the structured language of the periodic table. The result is not contradiction but friction—an energising push-and-pull that invites viewers into a space of heightened awareness.
Central to both practices is the use of found objects. Everyday materials are elevated, reconfigured and reimagined. Cement mixers, test tubes, industrial remnants and discarded fragments are not merely aesthetic choices but conceptual anchors. These objects carry histories, functions and associations which the artists disrupt and reframe. Through this process the familiar becomes strange and the overlooked becomes essential.
Together, their practices create a dialogue that is as playful as it is profound. Humour surfaces unexpectedly, often through juxtapositions that challenge logic or subvert expectation. The works invite attention—not just visual, but analytical. They ask viewers to question assumptions, to trace connections and to sit with ambiguity. To illustrate the cross over between both artists, both have made Jacob’s ladders. In Tecklenberg’s version, an escape ladder rises up towards the skylight, made from laughing gas bulbs. Redfern has chopped up a wooden ladder and twisted it making a DNA helix with angels climbing the rungs.
This is not an exhibition that offers easy answers. Instead the works reward curiosity and engagement. Each piece operates as a trigger within a larger network of ideas, encouraging visitors to move through the space thoughtfully, making their own associations along the way.
The ex-motorbike repair shop which is now hARTSlane Gallery enhances this experience. Its worn textures and open structure evoke a sense of history and process, aligning with the artists’ interest in transformation and reuse. It is a space that feels lived-in, worked-in—a fitting environment for art that embraces both construction and deconstruction.
