Research- Leeds 2019 (Gallery Visits)
Research-
Leeds 2019 (Gallery Visits)
Gallery visits Leeds (leaflets and info collected from visits in external research file)
Research
Leeds art GalleryLeeds art gallery was one I was hoping to visit while in Leeds, it boasts both modern works and many classics also. During my visit they were showing a dimly lit exhibition of Leonardo de Vinci’s works. The age and delicate nature of these is inspirational. I went with two friends who both work in the field of medicine or science. It was interesting to hear their insights into the works and hear the value they hold on the scientific nature of the drawings which are both exhibited as art and as science. The undoubtable skill in the works means that viewing them is impressive. The curation of the show in the dark room added a tension to the works which I had not considered in the past; as I also saw the works on exhibition in Florence a few years back.
Upstairs in the gallery there was a exhibition called ‘the lives of others, sites of memory’ and as I read that I was reflecting on my own attempt to produce work which memorialises species which are soon to be lost due to global warming. Through this exhibition it was obvious to notice the focus on the loss of the human. This of course is valid and much needed when considering memory and the human condition. However, why do we not mourn loss in general or loss of what around us. The nostalgic nature of this show was counteracted with works by Rob& Roberta Smith. This work was colourful boasting the expected use of text. My own work has straddled the interface between art and text for a long time now and Rob & Roberta Smith have been an ongoing example of inspiration. The continuous issue, which this work does well to tackle is the ‘slogan’ nature of much text work. The careful painted letters were difficult to read and follow, removing the slogan gimmick.
The Tetley
Leeds 2019 (Gallery Visits)
Gallery visits Leeds (leaflets and info collected from visits in external research file)
Research
Leeds art GalleryLeeds art gallery was one I was hoping to visit while in Leeds, it boasts both modern works and many classics also. During my visit they were showing a dimly lit exhibition of Leonardo de Vinci’s works. The age and delicate nature of these is inspirational. I went with two friends who both work in the field of medicine or science. It was interesting to hear their insights into the works and hear the value they hold on the scientific nature of the drawings which are both exhibited as art and as science. The undoubtable skill in the works means that viewing them is impressive. The curation of the show in the dark room added a tension to the works which I had not considered in the past; as I also saw the works on exhibition in Florence a few years back.
Upstairs in the gallery there was a exhibition called ‘the lives of others, sites of memory’ and as I read that I was reflecting on my own attempt to produce work which memorialises species which are soon to be lost due to global warming. Through this exhibition it was obvious to notice the focus on the loss of the human. This of course is valid and much needed when considering memory and the human condition. However, why do we not mourn loss in general or loss of what around us. The nostalgic nature of this show was counteracted with works by Rob& Roberta Smith. This work was colourful boasting the expected use of text. My own work has straddled the interface between art and text for a long time now and Rob & Roberta Smith have been an ongoing example of inspiration. The continuous issue, which this work does well to tackle is the ‘slogan’ nature of much text work. The careful painted letters were difficult to read and follow, removing the slogan gimmick.
The Tetley
https://www.thetetley.org/whats-on/rasheed-araeen-for-oluwale-ii
Rasheed Araeen will present his work For Oluwale II for the first time in Leeds, marking the 50th anniversary of the death of David Oluwale.The work responds to the death of David Oluwale, a British-Nigerian who drowned in the River Aire in 18th April 1969 after being systematically harassed by members of the Leeds City Police force. Araeen was shocked and deeply moved after reading about Oluwale's death in 1971, and decided to make a work dedicated to his story, marking a politicized shift in Araeen's practice who was previously making predominantly abstract artworks.For Oluwale comprises six photographic panels, that document a previous version of the work. It includes two additional panels that provide further information about Oluwale alongside a letter of complaint from someone who protested against the display of the original version of the work in 1973.Araeen's work will be contextualised by a collection of press clippings, a scrapbook owned by the whistle-blowing police cadet Gary Galvin, and excerpts from plays and poetry relating to the death of David Oluwale made in the intervening years.The exhibition is organised in partnership with the charity Remember Oluwale, who are hosting a series of events throughout April 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of his death
https://www.thetetley.org/whats-on/kannan-arunasalam-the-tent
the tentIn his first solo exhibition in a UK gallery, Kannan Arunasalam will present a new film installation, alongside a selection of his existing short films, reflecting on identity and the meaning of loss against the lasting impact of Sri Lanka's civil war in 1983 – 2009. During the conflict, tens of thousands of ethnic Tamils disappeared, including several hundred individuals who surrendered to the military at the end of the war. They were taken away in buses and have not been seen or heard from since. When a new government came into power in 2015 it promised to find answers to what happened to these missing people. However, no information has yet been released and the relatives of those who disappeared are still waiting.
The exhibition's central film installation The Tent, focuses on some of the wives and mothers of the missing people. For over a year they protested in northern Sri Lanka by camping next to government offices, holding vigils and demanding answers to the disappearance of their loved ones, whilst being watched by military intelligence. Hanging on the walls of their tent were hundreds of photographs of the missing men, women and children. Arunasalam followed the routine of daily life inside the tent, where quiet days waiting were punctuated by domestic chores and reflective conversation. “They are caught between hope and grief, unable to move on”, says Arunasalam.
This dual-screen film installation will contrast life on quiet days in the protest camp, when there was a palpable sense of loss, against footage of large crowds and media attention on an anniversary day marking 500 days of consecutive protest. The Tent will invite audiences to share in moments of reflection and to consider the meaning of loss in the light of intermittent media coverage.
The exhibition's central film installation The Tent is a co-commission supported by the British Council and Arts Council England through The New North and South; a three-year programme of activity across eleven arts organisations from the North of England and South Asia. The Tent will also be shown as part of the 5th edition of the Colombo Art Biennale in Sri Lanka, and at University of Brighton Gallery in 2019.
This is the first time I had visited the Tetley, the building in itself houses historic wonder and the displays which are boasted around the building as a result are interesting. The space is not a classic white cube which meant that the works on show felt more at home. The film and photography being housed in each of the small dark rooms would not have been suited to a space such as Leeds art gallery. The main reason for this is the colonial undertones which would have remained had these works been shown as a spectacle for western entertainment. I am a firm believer that art should educate however the levels of pity which were transported in these works mean that for me they would have been more respectful screened than exhibited. Instead of feeling educated by the works you are left slightly confused, in the familiar hero complex which works like this unsue. I left with more knowledge than when I entered however the argument of those works being art is on the border for me. I feel that creative communication and interpretation was not fully utilized but at the same time the nature of the works also warranted a certain level of peaceful respect.
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