And so farewell to Fig-2—the marathon project of 50 multifarious weekly shows that have unfolded over the past 50 weeks from within the Institute of Contemporary Art’s (ICA) studio, and that came to a close with an excellent shindig in the ICA theatre on Saturday. Appropriately for a project involving artists, writers, dancers, architects and designers there were many facets to Fig-2’s grand finale—including films, performances, music and speeches. As has been the case with each weekly opening, proceedings were washed down with a bespoke, artist-devised cocktail; the finale party was marked with a gin concoction courtesy of Sipsmith Independent Spirits. Tears welled as curator and Gagosian director Mark Francis (who with Jay Jopling had founded the original Fig-1 15 years ago) read out some lines from Wing, a song by stellar Fig-1 participant Patti Smith, “I was free, I needed nobody, it was beautiful”, which was later also rousingly sung by Lily Buchanan, AKA The Graphite Set.
More strong female action was to be found in a cathartic no holds barred clay-squidging performance by the magnificent Florence Peake, keenly observed by her twin brothers Eddie and Lewis. We also learned that Candida Gertler, the chair of Outset, who were the major sponsors of Fig-2, had extended her patronage to bringing in weekly lunches to sustain the curatorial team. It was especially appropriate that Laura Eldred, the inaugural artist of Fig-2, was also its last. (Eldred nicely bookended the programme with a film made with the Zapotec community in Oaxaca Mexico, who had created the rugs in her first Fig-2 show back in January.)
However, without doubt the uncontested woman of the evening was the inimitable, indefatigable and unflappable Fatos Ustek, who as Fig-2’s curator had made the whole thing possible and who looked remarkably perky considering the relentless schedule of the previous months. So, as everyone now disperses for the holidays, the question on everyone’s lips is what, in the New Year, will the London art world now do on Monday nights?
