British artist duo SNIK present EPHEMERAL, an exhibition of new works at The Crypt Gallery London that will run from October 18 through 20, following a showcase at London's Moniker Art Fair. Marking a first solo exhibition for the duo, this immersive show examines processes of beauty, creation, and decay, while considering the inevitability of aging and its potential for artistic renewal.

Comprised of artists Laura Perrett and Nicholas Ellis, SNIK’s mixed media works unite a background in handmade stencils with a dedication to Pre–Raphaelite ideas concerning nature, color, and movement. At the Crypt gallery, SNIK present their works in a decaying environment viewers must navigate: a backdrop of flowers, themselves in varying stages of decomposition.

Set across three underground spaces, the show begins with a presentation of vibrant multi-layer portraits executed through richly textured stencils, alongside installation images of SNIK’s high-profile international mural paintings. This is followed by a section progressing towards muted single-layer figurative works, created across rusted and beaten panels of metal, as well as sculptures rendered in bronze. Reflecting the gradual aging processes inflicted by outdoor elements, these works focus on the body and decay.

"In our daily lives, we chose to avoid closely considering things that are decaying or fading, affiliating it with death and loss. We show the process as a whole and ask the audience to acknowledge beauty in all stages. If the viewer can learn to focus on the process of life changing and enjoy the slow decay of each artwork, they will discover new beauty and depth, giving it prolonged meaning, life, and memory." 

The final room presents lightbox stencil projections bringing together motifs from some of SNIK’s most recognizable street works. Providing the room’s only light source, the black and white works appear ghostly in their surroundings. Representing the bare bones of complete loss, whilst nodding toward the possibility of regeneration (themselves a recreation of SNIK’s previous works lost to time), the final section ultimately asks the viewer to ‘hope in new works appearing out of the ashes and rubble of the past’."

SNIK's Ephemeral solo exhibition opens Friday, October 18th, and is on view through October 20, 2019.