The title of Adel Abdessemed’s sculpture, Bristow, is taken from the signature work of the British cartoonist Frank Dickens (1931 – 2016), whose cartoon strip of the same name ran for 41 years in the Evening Standard.

The series follows the life of a downtrodden and monotonous clerk as he avoids doing useful work for his large city conglomerate; in particular, he is distracted by a frequent pigeon on his windowsill — an everyday character synonymous with claustrophobic metropolitan centres.

Combining this pedestrian creature with symbols of makeshift terrorism and instant messaging, Bristow captures a contemporary culture of fear mixed with the banality of everyday city life. Perched on a London bollard, it is a discreet reminder of the lack of faith we entrust in our neighbours, and the unsettling, suspicious ways in which this manifests throughout the world.

Adel Abdessemed (b. 1971, Algeria) lives and works in Paris.