Jakob Rowlinson
"And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed", 2023
Magnolia seed pods, leather boots, patent leather shoes, leather guitar case, suede, PVC, rivets, eyelets, gromits, rings, shoelaces, waxed cotton cord, welded steel frame.
130 x 72 x 9 cm
51 1/8 x 28 3/8 x 3 1/2 in
51 1/8 x 28 3/8 x 3 1/2 in
Photo: Eva Herzog
Further images
Rowlinson’s new work 'And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed' is inspired partly by The Black Cap pub in Camden; a LGBTQIA+ local institution and the first queer space that...
Rowlinson’s new work "And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" is inspired partly by The Black Cap pub in Camden; a LGBTQIA+ local institution and the first queer space that Rowlinson visited when they moved to London nearly 10 years ago. Tragically, in 2015 the Black Cap Pub was shut down by building developers who intended to redevelop the site. Since then, there has been an ongoing campaign to get this seminal queer drag and cabaret space reopened.
"And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" is part of a series in which Jakob Rowlinson creates leather masks of hybrid human faces. These amorphous sculptures blur bestial and plant imagery together, and frequently include references to medieval and queer culture. In "And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" Rowlinson channels and memorialises the several sculptures of foliage covered faces that were carved into the woodwork above the entrance of the Black Cap Pub. These faces resembled the medieval Greenman figure; Rowlinson believed that their grinning faces became like guardians or gargoyles protecting the LGBTQIA+ safe haven inside. To construct the piece, Rowlinson used leather shoes and garments donated to him by London-based LGBTQIA+ friends. "And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" is a fitting ode to the Black Cap and what Jakob calls the ‘impish’ nights it once hosted.
"And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" is part of a series in which Jakob Rowlinson creates leather masks of hybrid human faces. These amorphous sculptures blur bestial and plant imagery together, and frequently include references to medieval and queer culture. In "And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" Rowlinson channels and memorialises the several sculptures of foliage covered faces that were carved into the woodwork above the entrance of the Black Cap Pub. These faces resembled the medieval Greenman figure; Rowlinson believed that their grinning faces became like guardians or gargoyles protecting the LGBTQIA+ safe haven inside. To construct the piece, Rowlinson used leather shoes and garments donated to him by London-based LGBTQIA+ friends. "And from his mouth spilled ill-begotten seed" is a fitting ode to the Black Cap and what Jakob calls the ‘impish’ nights it once hosted.