Exhibition: On The Sick Road

On The Sick Road

EMBASSY are delighted to present ‘On The Sick Road’, a solo exhibition by Lily Lavorato. ‘On The Sick Road’ is the inaugural exhibition in EMBASSY’s new space on Ferry Road.

Lily Lavorato is a British-Italian artist currently living and working in Glasgow. Working across sculpture, drawing and writing, their wounded forms point to ruptures in bodies and landscapes to explore moments of transition, vulnerability and gestures of care. Their paternal family are rooted in a mountainous village in Calabria, a rural region of South Italy. 

Their practice has been shaped by alternative arts education programmes with Embassy and Chisenhale Gallery, as well as residencies at Hospitalfield, The Field and The Art House. They have exhibited in group exhibitions at Haarlem Art Space, Two Queens Studio, SERF and Eastside Projects. Alongside their practice, Lily works as a facilitator and access worker with a focus on supporting ill/disabled communities and artists.

You continue, picking up and quickly dropping them back out of the window before they burn your hands. Only the stomach for drive-thru interactions. 

The air becomes instantly moist, the richness of the dark coating your tongue, your ears. Oregano, fennel, eucalyptus, asparagus, olive trees, bugs and soil have baked throughout the day and the dew in the air is a salt dough which wraps around you, steaming you inside yourself. 

Later on, you become confused and wonder if yours is the rusted bolt or the hip joint, creaking and skirting the roundabout. The headlights begin to blink. The tyres entirely deflate. Carrying on regardless, each piece of grit punctures you. You pay attention. After all, each stone of gravel knows more about this place than you.

Each turn etches into you like a vein of precious metal. Your skin stings against the heat of the window. You begin to smell further and wider with resistance. With every twist, your blood pools in that side of your body. Harsher to the left. This sculpts you with a slight but discernible lean that way. You mitigate this by folding a small piece of cloth and placing it between the sole of your left shoe and left foot. Over time, with your body weight and the friction between skin and fabric, its folds fuse together, the oil of your body encasing it until it resembles a piece of wood. 

Some time ago, the foam in the seats began relinquishing their form to the dust. That day you came to squeeze into the back, the final remnant of foam was eaten. As you sit, a cloud of dust particles leach out, creating a fine film that encases you, pinning you in place.

All photography by Andrew Perry.