Inspired by the works of Övyind Fahlström, Olivia Plender uses the format of the comic book as an alternative mode of distribution for art, capitalising on its inexpensive accessibility as a means to challenge cultural ideals. This exhibition of templates from her ongoing The Masterpiece series is an expansive critique of originality; the drawings themselves are conceived as a by-product of artistic process, and not the actual art itself.

Appropriating her title from Emile Zola’s novel about Cezanne, Plender’s The Masterpiece 4 explores the concept of Romanticism, authoring a complex fiction examining the concept of artist-as-genius. Set in 1960’s London her protagonist is an archetypical painter, tortured by his creativity, exploited by a cruel world. Invited for a weekend in the country, the plot unfolds as a Byronic epic cum Hammerhouse horror, delving her champion into a world of psychedelia and occult as a metaphoric parody of artistic strife.

Drawing her references from a wide range of sources, from 19th century technical manuals to b-movie film stills, Plender’s graphic narratives are designed with the stylised glamour of pulp fiction covers; her disconnected images intertwine as surreal pastiche, adding a psychological complexity to her illustrated story. Rendered in pencil on paper, these original drawings provide a rare insight into the concentrated intimacy of Plender’s process, reflecting an obsessive passion worthy of her heroes