Plaster Shoots: unleashing our inner child at Soup Gallery

‘Welcome To The Island Of Misfit Toys’ opened last night at Soup Gallery. The group show takes its name from the 2012 film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s angsty adolescent novel, The Perks of Being A Wallflower. If you had a Tumblr account circa 2013, then you’ll know all about the stirring cultural resonance that the film had for any irreverent teen. I know it wasn’t just me who was desperate for an “and in that moment, I swear we were infinite” shouting-out-of-the-roof-of-a-car ad-lib. It captured the sensibility of teenage melancholy, nostalgic for a time that we never existed in. Gifs of The Perks of Being A Wallflower’s introverted protagonists, black and white photos of Effy Stonem’s bruises from Skins – we lapped it all up. You just wouldn’t get it, mom! You had to be there.

Soup’s daddy Hector Campbell presents a new show all about the lore of being misunderstood and finding solidarity among the outcasts. On the ground floor, DaddyBears’ sickly sweet, intestinal-looking plush sculpture that was once a dollhouse stands next to Dean JF Hoy’s abandoned teddy bear, sacrificially strapped to a car bumper truck. Opposite resides Ted Le Swer’s 3D-rendered “happenings of decay”. Campbell creates a bitter-sweet invitation to all of our inner children.

It was a busy evening, with a bustling crowd spilling out onto the road despite the deathly November chill. Plaster sent photographer Colin Mullins down to South London to capture the scene. Were you papped?