I have recently enjoyed a 'mini-holiday' (much-needed) in the form of a visit by a dear friend from Germany.
In anticipation of our my friend's visit, we started looking at possibilities for trips here and there and, inevitably, the question of exhibitions reared its attractive head.
I had read of Monet and London at the Courtauld https://courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/exh-monet-and-london-views-of-the-thames/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgrO4BhC2ARIsAKQ7zUn9iEIefa9YooRj2rFg6SQvjzUiEOwHxe5rpkiljwoAhIZ4iarU7RoaAmW2EALw_wcB, and my friend told me of what promised to be an absorbing and provocative show at the Barbican, The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975 – 1998. https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/the-imaginary-institution-of-india-art-1975-1998
My friend's inspired choice (she has also contributed ideas to this column on occasions!) won the day.
Attending on the opening day, we were not disappointed.
This exciting, absorbing and moving exhibition – and I quote from the lovely small, simple, pink-covered, seemingly recycled paper catalogue - “surveys artistic production from across the Indian subcontinent during a 23-year period marked by social upheaval, economic instability and rapid urbanisation.”
The collection - presented in agreeably low light - is meticulously and astutely curated, with each room being clearly indicated in the catalogue as to its direction, and a wonderful spiral of clockwise flow in the upper rooms leading, thereafter, downstairs to the final tranche of exhibits.
We spent three hours absorbing this mesmeric display. The time passed in a flash.
The free catalogue goes much further than merely listing the art. It also offers a Timeline of Social and Political Events during the period; these include episodes concerning Indira Ghandi and her son Sanjay about which I remember hearing and reading during my adolescence. A glossary of terms is also included.
Extra poignancy was added due to the Bengali heritage of my daughter's partner, and conversations that we have had together on that subject.
The exhibition, which runs until 5th January 2025, comprises a wide range of work in paint on canvas, etchings, photography, sculpture, writings, film and installations. It is powerfully eclectic in its artistic variety and equally diverse and inclusive ideologically, presenting gay rights and feminist content alongside political and environmental themes.
REMEMBERING TOBA TEK SINGH - Nalini Malani, 1998
On my exhibition list, Monet at the Courtauld may soon get a look in, but Francis Bacon:Human Presence at the National Portrait Gallery has to be a priority.
Regular readers of this blog will know that the art of Francis Bacon has always been a seminal influence on my work. A forthcoming visit to Norwich will necessarily take in a trip to the Sainsbury Centre, where works by Bacon reside, and where my near obsession with his vision was born.
It's good to be back. I've been quiet, of late. I've missed writing this column.
EXHIBITION FEVER Copyright Haydn Dickenson 2024
I’ll definitely visit that exhibition Haydn, one for the diary x