Tube Culture Hall is pleased to presents Milk and cookies a group exhibition of Amit Berman, Charles Laib Bitton, Louise Janet, Deb Koo and Ollie White curated by Emma Elliott-Israelson that will be open on February 12th from 6pm.

The exhibition Milk and cookies brings together a poignant collection of figurative works, weaving themes of memory, nostalgia, and interiority. Across 17 pieces, the featured international artists delve into the intimate aspects of human experience through depictions of interior spaces, still moments, memory, and inner reflection. The decision to focus on figurative work in Milk and cookies stems from its ability to anchor themes of nostalgia and intimacy within the human experience. By depicting private, interior moments often lost in the curated realities of technology, social media, and photography, the exhibition reveals the loneliness and disconnection of modern life while reminding us of the profound beauty in everyday connections and memories.

The paintings also highlight the tension between human connection and contemporary disconnection. Most of our personal interactions are now often mediated through screens, leaving behind a sense of loneliness despite hyper-connectivity. These works counteract this digital detachment by immortalizing fleeting, mundane moments and elevating them into spaces of deep reflection and meaning through the medium of painting. Drawing on the tradition of still life, several artists emphasize close looking, rejecting the fast-paced, throwaway culture of consumerism in favor of deeper observation and interpretation of objects, feelings, and moments. In doing so, Milk and cookies serves as a meditation on presence, memory, and the quiet significance of everyday life.

Works like Deb Koo’s Cake for the holidays and Afternoon festivities draw from personal memories, transforming still-life settings into timeless reflections of joy and heritage. Similarly, Amit Berman's A storm in my grandmother’s tea set and Sowing blends familial legacy with themes of renewal and tenderness, underscoring how objects and relationships can hold emotional histories.

The theme of intimacy permeates throughout, from Louise Janet’s sensitive portrayal of friendship in Sleepover to her exploration of familial bonds in My mother and me. Ollie White’s minimalist works, such as Green shoes in box and Twins, evoke both solitude and connection through anthropomorphic objects, while Charles Laib Bitton’s Resting from painting and Claire resting emphasize the unremarkable yet profound moments of daily life juxtaposing the large scale of the canvas with the immediacy of a private moment.

Together, these works invite viewers to reflect on their own experiences of nostalgia and closeness. In doing so, Milk and cookies reminds us of the power of art to slow us down, encouraging us to find meaning in stillness, observation, and the unnoticed moments that shape our lives.