Alienation explored

The launch exhibition of newly opened, 'culturally diverse' art space Rivington Place is more about fragmentation than unity. Broken up awkwardly into separate sections, two floors apart, London Is The Place For Me doesn't impose an overarching narrative on the immigrant experience. Instead, the alienation of those far from home is poignantly explored through their communication with those they've left behind.

Dinu Li's Press The * Then Say Hello is a series of portraits showing people in shops offering cheap international calls. Few are talking - only two have open mouths, and one bows her head in a prayer of listening. Most wear expressions of longing or amusement, an emotional closeness apparent despite the geographical distance.

Their silent connection through white plastic phones contrasts with the calypso strains of singer Lord Kitchener from a film playing in the corner of the gallery. He is singing a tune he composed on board the SS Empire Windrush from the Caribbean to Tilbury Docks in 1948, its refrain 'London is the Place for Me'. The callers' faces suggest this isn't a phrase reverberating around the walls of their phone booths.

Upstairs, Mona Hatoum's film Measures Of Distance shows letters from her mother in Beirut, Arabic script overlaid with a voice revealing the loss felt in exile.

Until Nov 24, Rivington Place EC2, Tue to Fri 11am to 6pm (Thu to 8.30pm), Sat noon to 6pm, free. Tel: 020 7749 1240. Tube: Old Street

London Is The Place For Me
Rivington Place, EC2