Some of us live in cities so we can be alone

Hypha Gallery Hackney Downs, 17 Amhurst Terrace, E8

PV: Thursday, 9th January, 6-9pm

Open: 10th January – 1st February 2025, Thursday – Sunday, 12-6pm

At the heart of the bustle of urban landscapes lies an exploration of solitude and its nuances. Some of us live in cities so we can be alone is a reflection on our relationships with others — on ourselves amidst others. Evoking the remnants of what once was, or what could have been, this exhibition alludes to the other without explicitly showing it.

Taking its title from David Wojnarowicz’s memoir ‘Close to the knives’, this exhibition aims to be like a closed space at the center of cities, like an opening onto intertwining individual stories where one oscillates between tenderness and violence. It is an immersion into landscapes that are both vast and intimate, where the artworks serve as tangible remnants of desires and exchanges, revealing the intricate tapestries of personal narratives. These reminders of what has been, or could have been, also indicate what now is: an unveiling of intimacy — between personal desires, chance encounters, and social exchanges.

What remains after the agitation has dissipated, after emotions have calmed? Some of us live in cities so we can be alone reveals the traces left by our desires and encounters, serving as a reflection on our solitudes, whether endured or sought.