London exhibition examines governance, surveillance, institutional power in care

Racheal Crowther’s ‘Liquid Trust’ lands in the capital’s Chisenhale Gallery in April 2026.

Last updated: 20th Mar 2026

Originally published: 13th Mar 2026

An exhibition that examines how governance, surveillance, and institutional power have become entangled with systems of care is coming to London.

London-based artist Racheal Crowther’s exhibition comes to Chisenhale Gallery, opening on Thursday 16th April and running until Sunday 14th June 2026.

Named ‘Liquid Trust’, the exhibition sees Crowther draw on her background in social care services to explore the boundary between care and control. Using repurposed objects that contain memories of their institutional use, Crowther spotlights the grip of bureaucracy in care. 

Crowther uses scents that have been used as tools of influence and social control, engineering atmospheres and directing behaviour, as well as architecture and colour to investigate how bodies are regulated in institutional systems. Scents used include "love hormone" oxytocin, powdered milk, and hexadecanal, which is associated with newborn baby smell. The exhibition's name, ‘Liquid Trust’, is taken from a perfume marketed as containing oxytocin. 

The three connected works see Crowther move through military infrastructure, neurochemical signalling, and psychological design.

One example is a mobile health control post used by the British Armed Forces. Its history is only partly clear. An ambiguous, liminal space, the unit is where bodies were once assessed and categorised against unknown criteria. Memories of its past use shine through in residual markings, paperwork, and signage. 

Finally, Crowther embeds the colour Baker-Miller pink (also known as Schauss Pink) in her work, exploring how it's still used institutionally for behavioural regulation, despite research failing to back the claims that it could reduce aggression and stress.

Racheal Crowther’s ‘Liquid Trust’ comes to Chisenhale Gallery in London E3 5QZ, running from 16th April to 14th June 2026. You can attend from Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm until 6pm. You can find out more here. 

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Header image credit: Racheal Crowther, production image, 2025. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London, in partnership with Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, and Bétonsalon, Paris. Photo: Harry Mitchell. Courtesy of the artist

Body image: “Managed Decline” 2023. Door covers made using repurposed steel. 215 x 105 cm. Exhibited at 243 Luz, Margate. Photo Credit: Ollie Harrop