‘Not Big or Clever’ explores a distinctly British playground humour through a series of equally childishly conceived drawings. In a purposely naive style she refers to as ‘a bit shit’, Alma pairs text with images in a way that taps into the child (and childish) in all of us. It’s the exhibition you would have wanted to see on a school trip to a boring art gallery when you were nine.

"For better or worse, as I’ve got older, I’ve started to appreciate how important laughter is, no matter how stupid the thing we’re laughing at. Adult life is challenging and in the periods of my life that have been most difficult I’ve found that laughter, alongside tears, has been an essential part of being able to cope."

"As the years pass, I’m increasingly nostalgic about my childhood - playing outside until out it got dark, drawing for hours without any pressure to create something ‘good’, and the joy of laughing at the most childish of things.There’s something very special and kind of profound about children’s drawings, and their humour, and I guess I’ve been tapping into the seven-year-old I used to be for this show. Writing boobies on a calculator may not be big or clever, as my teacher once angrily informed me, but it is funny. Whoever named a bird a Tit, and a planet Uranus, must have been smiling when they did. In all honesty a part of me also takes a little pleasure thinking how much the stupidity of this show would piss off my serious over-earnest art tutors at university."

Curated by The Connor Brothers, the exhibition explores issues around value, identity, relationships, and The Art Market, all with a self-deprecating humour that pokes fun at some of the things we all take more seriously than we should. The works combine images and text and are created in a purposely naive style which Alma describes as ‘rubbish’, and which is on occasion is in contrast to the underlying subject matter. In her latest body of work, Alma playfully questions the motives behind our search for status and raises light-hearted questions about value and meaning in Contemporary Art. As a body of work consistent themes begin to arise which subtly ask more serious questions of us. 

AlmaSinger’s first solo exhibition exploring issues around value, art, identity,
and female sexuality. A humorous and personal dive into the world of Alma Singer.