Funny Dread

“Let us celebrate the stupidity of our endurance.”
― Charles Bukowski

‘Funny Dread’ was an exhibition curated by Laura Kate Sutton and Chesca Dobbe looking at humour in the absurd. Art has long been a tool to explore the meaning of life and the gallery space can be a place where we can reflect on the existential reality of existence. Like in Albert Camu’s ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, we repeat the same actions again and again, only sometimes reflecting in the pointlessness of it all. Although often bleak, a humour lies in the ridiculousness of being. The benign-violation theory attempts to explain humour's existence, saying humour only occurs when something seems wrong, unsettling, or threatening, but simultaneously seems okay, acceptable or safe. The works in the show explore this contradiction, both the dull and nonsensical, the deary and silly. The funny ridiculousness of being alive.

Laura Kate Sutton’s ‘How to manifest anything you desire - Yes, that even includes love… and money’ (2024) is a two piece work completing Oprah’s 5 steps to manifestation. A humours look at people’s desires and aspirations, the work explores the sincere and ridiculous ways we desperately try to achieve our goals.