Abi Palmer: Slime Mother

Artist, writer and filmmaker, Abi Palmer's debut solo exhibition crafts an alternate reality wherein slugs, rather than being met with revulsion, are revered.

In Slime Mother, Abi invites viewers to delve into a world where slime, queerness, the politics of space, the erotic, and alien mating rituals intertwine, urging them to merge with and embrace the intricate strangeness of these resilient gastropods.

Throughout her multifaceted practice, Abi uses the fluctuations of her disabled body as a jumping-off point, creating work that is not only multisensory and fragmented but also profoundly Queer.

The exhibition will be accompanied by Slugs: a Manifesto, a new publication by Abi, published by Makina Books in collaboration with Chapter and will expand across a programme of films, workshops, BSL tours and more.

Abi Palmer said: "I identify with the slug: I too have been regarded with repulsion, no more than a pest stealing spoils from the hardworking farmer. Once I allow myself space to move beyond visceral disgust and phobia, I find space for beauty, fascination and even a glistening reverence for a creature who became more disgusting as a means of survival".

Curator Sim Panaser said: “Abi’s multi-faceted exhibition presents a slug cosmology that centres marginalised communities. In embracing the softness, resilience and resistance of these slimy creatures, Abi offers us transformative possibilities of rethinking the ways we build community and connect.”