Flare-Up at Goldsmiths CCA: Crip Art as Systemic Critique

The exhibition 'Flare-Up' at Goldsmiths Centre of Contemporary Art in London, curated by Mariana Lemos and Natasha Hoare, presents works by artists from the UK, Ireland, USA, and France, framed through crip theory. The show opened in May and runs through 16 August. It includes Abi Palmer's 'Chic Slug' (2024), Avril Corroon's 'Sublet Glory' (2026), Bella Milroy's 'Violence in the Form of Stationery' (2018), Jamila Prowse's 'Flare' (2025), Lizzy Rose's 'Sick, blue sea' (2018), Leah Clements' 'Pure Joy' (2026), Derek Jarman's 'Act Up' (1992), Benoît Piéron's 'Pillbox of Dungeness Seed Bombs' (2018), Carolyn Lazard's 'Into the Wild Blue Yonder' (2025), Jesse Darling's 'The Cleansing of the Temple (Luke 19:46)' (2024), Christine Sun Kim's 'Close Readings' (2015), and JJJJJerome Ellis's 'The Clearing' (2021). The exhibition highlights the systemic nature of disability, contrasting with recent UK news stories about disabled individuals like Ravi Mehta and Lucinda Ritchie, and the proposed cuts to Personal Independence Payments. The review, written by Alice Hattrick, reflects on the personal and political dimensions of the work, noting the unpaid labour of accessing care and the risk of isolating crip artists in such contexts. The show also incorporates built-in access features, such as audio descriptions and BSL interpretation.