In the midst of the stormy season we've been having here in the UK, a part of the fence between our garden and our neighbour's broke down. For a few days while we were waiting for the replacement, it was as though we each had a glimpse into each other's sacred private spheres, a figurative as well as literal breakdown of the many barriers that separate us as humans. There our two gardens were, both directly next to each other, both roughly the same size, yet each so strikingly different from each other, a reflection of the different people that made them the way they are. In the same way, while the general concept of storytelling through art is a universal language, it's colourful intonations and accents come from the personal identity of the artist themselves. This December, as hibernation season descends upon us and the holidays are close on it's heels, let's redirect ourselves to the stories we tell, and why they are so irreproducible.
Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears
Quick deets:
Location | Barbican Centre Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS |
Open Until | 5th Jan 2025 |
Price Details | Free |
Pamela Sunstrum is a woman of many worlds, having lived in parts of Africa, South East Asia and North America. Through this perspective of ever changing landscapes and her identity as a black woman, we follow the figures in her paintings as they traverse undefined landscapes, playing the role of 'femme fatale.' Sunstrum developed an alter ego "Asme" to grasp a sense of self amidst the changing geography of her life. Fascinated by ancient mythology and scientific theories, Sunstrum explores identity and how these identities get crossed, lost and metamorphosed between border lines. The result is a touch of haunting etherealism recalling the inner conflict of being seen as a migrant, woman of colour, and victim of colonialism.
Sunstrum promises her audience "journeys into processes of disintegration- processes that are at once intimate, violent, sensual, madding, and tender- in the pursuit of home and wholeness."
Sir Elton John and David Furnish: Fragile Beauty
Quick deets:
Location | V&A South Kensington Cromwell Road London, SW7 2RL |
Open Until | 5th Jan 2025 |
Price Details | £22 |
'Fragile Beauty' is a joint collection by Elton John and his husband David Furnish. It somehow manages to collate a kaleidoscope of contemporary photography from American and European artists- exploring fashion, celebrity portraits, empty landscapes and overall the magic in the mundane- while still maintaining a sense of cohesion. It is like a flower bouquet of narrative prowess, each snapshot is so distinct yet they mesh well together. What's wonderful is that apart from a cheeky cameo by Elton John, featuring in one of the pictures, the exhibition doesn't just focus on the celebrity hosts but turns the lens back to the viewer. One thing that strikes me about this display is the specific and deliberate focus on the male body and male subjects; so much art focuses on on the female form and portrait, emulating a societal desire for attractive ladies to fill the frame. However, depicting these men in not just their beauty but their vulnerability and delicateness isn't something common in mainstream media. It feels at once fascinating and authentic.
Hew Locke: What Have we Here?
Quick deets:
Location | The British Museum Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG |
Open Until | 9th Feb 2025 |
Price Details |
Hew Locke is a Guyanese- British artist born in 1959, currently based in London. Through his various sculptures and paintings, he explores Britain's historical interactions with Africa, India and the Caribbean. His sculptures in this exhibition, including one of his trademark collections "The Watchers" are faceless, encased in vibrantly coloured outfits so you almost feel you can plant your own face on them, imprint your own story and bolden it through their jarring anonymity. Professor Dr. Ingrid Van Rosenberg declares Hew Locke one of the "Black artists who continue to produce work with a critical message" who "use humour and satire, positioning themselves as cultural outsiders." Even better, Hew Locke empowers the outsiders in a satisfying twist, ironically rebalancing the dynamic between colonisers and colonised in the British Museum by framing key historical objects from the point of view of those who created them, not those who seized control of them.
Frederic Lord Leighton: Flaming June
Quick deets:
Location | Royal Academy of Arts Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD |
Open Until | 12th Jan 2025 |
Price Details | Free |
"Flaming June", originally exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1895, was first designed as a motif for one of Leighton's other works "Summer Slumber". He became so attached to it he decided to develop it into a separate painting. The result, spread out on a large canvas, depicts a serenely sleeping young lady draped in a sheer orange dress, basking in the caress of a late summer sunset.
What makes this even more special is that the painting actually disappeared from 1930 to 1960, much like the languorous yet short-lived summertime pleasure it portrays, it almost slipped away before falling back into the viewers' hands. Samuel Courtauld, founder of the Courtauld institute, declared it "the most wonderful painting in existence." As it's already the most wonderful time of the year, why not add the cherry on top by viewing this wonderful painting?
This concludes our December monthly art guide, keeping it short and sweet with four expeditions to visit to escape the cold and look at the narratives beyond our individual bubbles. Just as we have benefitted from these authors' identities and stories, they can benefit from each of your presence in viewing these stories through your own unique perspective. Don't worry, I won't ask you to break down fences between gardens anytime soon. What I will suggest, is that we all (myself included) leave those gardens every once in a while and return with seeds of experience to make them even more beautiful.
References
pamelaphatsimosunstrum.com (n.d.). Bio + CV. [online] Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum. Available at: https://www.pamelaphatsimosunstrum.com/biography.
Barbican.org.uk. (2024). Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: Exhibition guide | Barbican. [online] Available at: https://www.barbican.org.uk/exhibition-guides/pamela-phatsimo-sunstrum-exhibition-guide [Accessed 28 Nov. 2024].
Wikipedia. (2022). Pamela Sunstrum. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_Sunstrum.
Wikipedia. (2022). Hew Locke. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hew_Locke.
The British Museum. (2024). Hew Locke: what have we here? [online] Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/hew-locke-what-have-we-here#inside-the-exhibition [Accessed 29 Nov. 2024].
Jansen, C. (2024). Fragile Beauty review – Elton John and David Furnish’s photo collection goes from basic to brutal. The Guardian. [online] 17 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/may/17/fragile-beauty-review-photographs-elton-john-david-furnish-v-a-museum-london.
Victoria and Albert Museum. (2024). Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection. [online] Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/fragile-beauty-photographs-from-the-sir-elton-john-and-david-furnish-collection?srsltid=AfmBOoqdOpZa4mTR5cXj-Tk30cPcs6ma8VOPmzeO3i58cRNK2AoIcbjj [Accessed 1 Dec. 2024].
www.royalacademy.org.uk. (n.d.). Flaming June | Exhibition | Royal Academy of Arts. [online] Available at: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/flaming-june.
Wikipedia. (2022). Flaming June. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_June.
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