Two of the most moving of the works in ‘Materia’ are Girjesh Kumar Singh’s architectural sculptures made of bricks and mortar saved from homes destroyed in conflicts in his hometown of Uttar, Pradesh, reminding us both of the suffering and destruction which sadly still goes on in many parts of the world, but also that, out of that suffering, may come something good with hope for a new future.

The old rough brick and mortar is one of the unusual materials adopted by artists in Materia at rosenfeld porcini in Fitrovia in the second of their exhibitions exploring different aspects of the artistic world.  At the opposite extreme, Herbert Golser’s polished works in marble and steel (contrasting with his more naturalistic work in wood) are the epitome of perfection and of the modern machine age, as are Artur Lesher’s slender brass and aluminium needles and Rania Schoretsaniti’s wall sculptures casting their shadows across the wall.

Dancing across the gallery are Pieter Obel’s swirling dust storms (Habbobs) in steel, oak and rope, while Marie Orensanz reverts to traditional marble, but with a twist of crayon and Letraset (do they still sell this?).   Thereafter a myriad of materials includes car parts and paper (Keita Miyazaki), blown glass vessels (Laura McKinley), painted porcelain (Ian Thomson) set in front of a wall of Ding Tainer’s gesso hands making all sorts of gestures, while Veronica Vazquez, Leonardo Drew, Jose Garieland Alice Cattaneo add to the mix with different materials creating a variety of different works.  Trying to fool us, Jose Gabriel Fernandez’s ‘Erotillo’ looks like marble from a distance but is fibreglass and resin, while complimenting Pieter Obels’ duststorms are Iza Tarasewicz’s steel, copper and brass installations which suggest power and control.

All that is missing is the digital age where technology is the material….