Viewing Cj Hendry: Epilogue

Stroll around East London and you’ll see historic churches aplenty. Among them is the New Testament Church of God in Mile End, which is enjoying a new lease of life following its recent refurbishment. So much so, in fact, that it’s the site of a brilliant new exhibition by the New York-based artist Cj Hendry.

Hendry’s first solo show in London, Epilogue brings together 32 new monochromatic flower works inspired by depictions of nature throughout art history, from 17th century Dutch Still Life paintings to the Pop Art of Andy Warhol and Marc Quinn. Made using the Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 pencils, these intricate studies can take up to 80 hours to produce. Also on show is a large-scale immersive installation: ten tonnes of recyclable confetti made up of millions of paper flower cut outs will continuously fall from the ceiling of the church across the 11-day duration of the show. The confetti will be allowed to settle, gradually blanketing the floors, underlining a greater sense of time, transience and rebirth.

By questioning the ephemeral nature of beauty, time, and mortality, this poignant series mirrors a collective mood of reflection and re-evaluation. ‘Countless artists have depicted flowers in full bloom, but few have portrayed them as they begin to wither and shed their petals,’ says Hendry. ‘To me this is where the beauty lies, and Epilogue is a memorial to them and a reminder that nothing lasts forever.’ Get thee to Mile End asap.