Freddie Yauner: Problems of Success
On view 14 February – 29 March, Wednesdays – Saturdays, 10.00 AM – 4.00 PM.
184 Gwydir Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LW
Freddie Yauner is on a creative, ideological and exploratory journey using art to look at the intersection of agricultural innovation and environmental impact.
Problems of Success features work created with pollen-based paint and custom tools, examining how modern farming practices transform diverse ecosystems into monocultures.
Pollen deposits in soil provide a historical record of the damaging impact on ecosystems such as rainforests, grass lands and rural habitats as they are converted into single-crop agricultural lands. Using pollen as both medium and metaphor, Yauner invites viewers to consider the impact of human innovation on nature and the true cost of agricultural advancement.
This body of work explores the impact of global capitalism on our food systems and the personal stories and internal conflicts of the individuals involved. From documented family mottos to large-scale irrigation landscapes, Yauner uses text and images to explore a broader narrative about the paradoxical nature of agricultural innovation—where success often breeds new challenges.
The exhibition title emerges from Yauner’s reflection on the unforeseen challenges that stem from achievement and ambition—a complexity that both he and Morris faced as privileged artists seeking to effect social change.
Problems of Success invites audiences to contemplate the true cost of progress and the delicate balance between human intervention and natural systems.
About the Artist:
In an era widely obsessed with endless growth, Freddie Yauner holds up a mirror – sometimes literally – to the world and humanity’s complex relationship with progress.
Through a delightfully unpredictable mix of media, his work challenges viewers to see the familiar in startling new ways balancing sharp cultural commentary with playful wit.
Drawing from personal experience and family history, he frames his perspective through interconnected themes: childhood toys contrasted with adult realities, statistical data transformed into visual testaments of environmental impact, and satirical reflections on human ambition.
His artistic arsenal is as diverse as it is surprising: CEO portraits painted with pollen, mysterious figures in mirrored masks wandering city streets, and a three-month annual pilgrimage into the mind of William Morris. Each piece serves as a portal into the unexpected, inviting audiences to question their assumptions about consumption, progress, human nature and global futures.
Morris Quarter:
This show falls in ‘Morris Quarter’, when Yauner dedicates three months to working in the spirit of William Morris. The annual ritual, undertaken since 2020, represents deep exploration into the Victorian polymath’s creative philosophies and techniques, importantly highlighting his critical relevance when facing current global emergencies.
Yauner foregrounds Morris’ vision of art as inseparable from social purpose and daily life. His principles of craftsmanship – the joy found in meaningful work, the importance of natural materials, and the rejection of industrial mass production – resonates powerfully with current environmental and social concerns. Morris’ prescient ideas about renewable resources, reforestation, and sustainable living practices inform Yauner’s exploration of how artistic practice can address contemporary challenges.
Like Morris before him, Yauner acknowledges that his perspective on ecological and social issues stems from his white middle-class background. Rather than diminishing his work, he sees this acknowledgment as both a responsibility and motivation to create meaningful change through art.
