Rule of Thumb - SET Lewisham Exhibition

Rule of Thumb investigates the systems of discipline and authority that shape the human body. Bringing together four artists working across painting, sculpture, and installation, the exhibition examines how power is naturalised through physical presence.

Presented at SET Lewisham as part of the Associate Members Programme, the exhibition is co-curated by the participating artists.

About the exhibition
The exhibition takes its title from the idiom “rule of thumb”, a phrase denoting approximate measurement famously, if controversially, linked to a legal loophole for domestic violence. Rule of Thumb uses this etymology as a point of departure to explore how power is mapped onto the body within both domestic and institutional spheres.

Throughout the space, symbols of power are rendered as bodily objects: bodybuilders flex alongside legal iconography and heraldry; armour-like structures offer a tense balance of protection and restraint; and garments hang like evidence, relics or unresolved testimonies.

By deconstructing these forms, Rule of Thumb draws attention to the hidden codes of conduct that dictate movement and behaviour. The works invite us to consider how the body carries the weight of these systems, and how the traces of authority remain visible even in the aftermath of an event.