Sameness and Difference is well worth the trip to the otherwise quite unremarkable Kingsland road. Shown in the creative space of the Russian Club Gallery, which consists of a photography studio, a design workshop and an art gallery, the exhibition is itself very much about collaboration, integration and coexistence, particularly between the individual and his furnished environment.

As much as the gallery space allows, the interaction between the viewer and the art-furniture pieces in the gallery is superbly explored. So successfully are some works integrated into the gallery alongside their pair pieces that one does not necessarily realise that this is an intentionally staged setting. Some furniture is transformed and manipulated beyond recognition; conversely, some art pieces are undistinguishable from an ordinary chair or a sofa.

Among the many engaging pieces in the show, Natsue Ikeda’s project is perhaps the most engaging and witty exploration of the individual’s place in the system of objects. Pointing at our dependence on the habitat, she rearranged the furniture in her room every day, ending up with an absurdly furnished space with the bed blocking the only door.

Having become an indication of status, personal taste and character, furniture is nowadays required to possess a sense of individuality. It is the presence of a human touch, communicated through these pieces of art, design and craft, that make them invaluable in our IKEA-furnished world. Even the chaotically arranged Easy Chairs of Ryan Gadner’s Rietvield Monster piece stirs the heart, once one notices the scribbled names of the children who participated in its construction.

In this show, the question of the sameness and difference between art and design is thoroughly explored and can be carried by the exhibition’s audience outside of the gallery space and into their own homes.

Until Jul 3

JEVGENIJA RAVCOVA