2022 marks the 40th anniversary of Artlink Hull. In celebration of this milestone 87 Gallery has commissioned artist Ailish Treanor to respond to the organisation's extensive archive. Treanor has explored the archive physically and digitally, seeking out evidence of live events, workshops and performances. Traces of these ephemeral happenings have been captured in photographs, posters and publications. Treanor has pulled motifs from this material to produce a new body of work that references the value of everyday human experiences and decision-making. Sportswear logos, drawn from the fashion of the day, are translated into ceramic sculpture. Butterfly collages, the result of community workshops, have grown into textiles sculptures that pose theatrically in the space.

Tableau Retro also seeks to acknowledge Artlink as a workplace, recognising the presence of members of staff within the archive. Treanor found that these photographs often appear staged, creating a tension between history and fiction. The work reminds us that the making of an archive is a conscious act, one that can be altered to fit different times and agendas.