This Summer, the Hayward Gallery, in partnership with the RC Foundation, Taiwan (R.O.C.), will present Freudian Typo: an exciting new collaboration between Iranian-Canadian artists Ghazaleh Avarzamani and Ali Ahadi. The exhibition will comprise new work which playfully critiques Britain’s imperial past and how it manifests today, tracing connections between historical sources and current events in politics and finance.
Freudian Typo takes a critical look at age-old English nursery rhymes like The Old Woman and Her Pig to unpack themes of debt, exploitation and catastrophe. Drawing on archival research into these tales, the resulting exhibition sees the collective interpret a children’s fable through works that are full of puns and double meaning.
Intrigued by the cherished symbols of Britain’s post-Imperial institutions of state, Freudian Typo will also present a hyper-realistic sculpture of Palmerston the former Chief Mouser of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The famous feline will regard an electronic motorway sign which displays the phrase ‘Truth and Reconsolidation’. From here, the exhibition will unfold across a range of mediums including photography, sculpture, video and found objects.
The third show of the RC Foundation Project Space Exhibition Series invites visitors to discover new voices from international artists as a key part of the Southbank Centre’s drive to create amazing cultural experiences for as many people as possible through an array of free programming. The Hayward Gallery’s HENI Project Space has offered free cultural experiences since 2007, with previously exhibited artists including Heecheon Kim, Amol K Patil, Thabiso Sekgala, Kate Cooper, Hicham Berrada and Huang Po-Chih.
Ghazaleh Avarzamani and Ali Ahadi of Freudian Typo say:
“We’re engaged in a mode of practice that maintains that art emerges through engagement with critical discourse, where dialogue and dialectics serve both as our methodology and medium. The complementary aspects of our work renders collaboration not merely as a beneficial addition but as an essential necessity. Our commitment to critical exchange defines our collective horizon, positioning the dynamic and discursive mode of art-making as the most compelling path forward.”
Yung Ma, Senior Curator of the Hayward Gallery, says:
“I am delighted that we will be once again working with the RC Foundation to present some of the most innovative artists from around the world to audiences in London. This exhibition by Freudian Typo will bring to the fore an artistic vision that dissects the structures of our world economy. It will be a timely and poignant portrayal that challenges a system we have all grown accustomed to.”
Avarzamani and Ahadi will present a concurrent exhibition at the Delfina Foundation in London, where Avarzamani is a former artist resident.
Freudian Typo is curated by Hayward Gallery Assistant Curator, Thomas Sutton.
Press release from the Hayward Gallery
Image: Freudian Typo. Black Line and the Edifice. Installation mock up. 2025. Image courtesy of the artist and the Hayward Gallery
