Dark times

London – Musician and artist Gaika has released a short film that taps into the anxiety felt by members of the public following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.

• Security examines the experience of being young in London and the concept of fear
• The film will be on display at the artist’s Club 88 exhibition as part of Ron Arad’s immersive Curtain Call installation

Gaika’s surreal short uses broken narratives and distorted visuals to confuse and disorientate viewers, and hint at the existence of something that is beyond their perception.

Speaking to Dazed, Gaika explained that his aim was to convey ‘how we all live under a blanket of fear, an indiscriminate fear that causes us to be controlled’, and cited his experience as a London club promoter as a key inspiration behind the concept. ‘You live in this netherworld where the law ain’t the law, and where people are driven to express themselves more freely because they are drunk. I think that clubs are really important cultural spaces.’

The artist released a genre-blending mix tape of the same name in April 2016. Both works examine the effects of the city’s political system on its citizens, with a particular focus on young black men.