HELD, THEN…
christopher fairbairn

july 2025

Held, then... was an exhibition of screen prints by New Cross-based artist Christopher Fairbairn. Chris is fascinated by the physical qualities and cultural characteristics of the objects we throw away: fast food wrappers, lottery tickets, sugary drink cans, etc. “I’m interested in how these things are made and how they feel – the shine and creases of foil, the thinness of ticket paper, the heavy, bright inks used to grab attention.”

Before printing he studies their surfaces: the folds, stains and wear from being disposed of as mindlessly as they were handled and used. Chris rebuilds these details slowly, layer by layer, reviving them, giving them new value, turning the temporary and disposable into something more fixed and considered.

By placing these discarded items in a gallery, Chris invites viewers to look again at materials they normally ignore. “It’s not about nostalgia or judgement but about paying attention – to surface, to touch, to the physical traces left behind in everyday objects.”

Chris Fairbairn has a background is in furniture design, but it was a visit to Bermondsey’s First Floor Studio last year which inspired him to pick up print making. Drawn to the repetitive nature and parallels with mass production, he has been prolific in his newfound passion for printing. Chris has lived in Southeast London for 14 years, fond of its sense of independence from the rest of the city: “SE is the underdog; we make our own fun and creativity.”