Listened to the podcast yesterday Victoria! I could feel your excitement and irritation. I loved the description of the atmosphere in the exhibition. It fits so much with the almost relieved comraderie bound by common experience
Loved this consideration of the exhibition, which sounds amazing, Victoria! Right up my street. I think your comments on the FT review are totally valid. Thank you for sharing :)
Thank you for this amazing piece and discussion here. Alessandra’s statement was definitely something. Thank you for drawing attention to this too. And the ‘informer’’s statement left me speechless about people’s mindset.
Thank you for this post - I wouldn't have come across this exhibition otherwise and now your passionate vivid description of it has gotten me to plan a visit!
There's a word that keeps flashing in my mind in these days of political and social amnesia, caused mostly by the dopamine hits of social media, and that's context. Western society seems to have forgotten the value of understanding, and understanding through context. Nothing happens in a vacuum, in politics or in art.
This point of invisibility can’t be stated enough. You really pack punch into your criticism of this FT Review, and rightly. What really strikes me is the way you felt immersed in the experience of this exhibition. It’s as if the reviewer went alone or after hours -- how could one ignore the buzz you describe? Your article brings up so many important points and questions, especially about the necessity of the continuation of this dialogue.
Let's go together, Kate! That review infuriated me so much that I couldn't not take an axe to it. There were other things that she said in the review that were equally infuriating but which I didn't even go there with. If you've got time, click on the link in my article to it... it's flippin' unbelievable to read!
Oh my gosh, I clicked. (cool way to share it by the way)
"...this domestic bleating is tone-deaf." Yes, there is/was important stuff in other countries, but that's not what this exhibit was about and it's as if she's saying 'I have no problem with casual sexism because we have bigger fish to fry.' I mean, standards!
So yes, let's go to the show! I see it's on until April. :)
Lovely piece (and great job with your voiceover, too). This reminds me of an old debate from graduate school, about whether cultural artifacts such as advertisements might be "texts." I enjoyed experimenting with that cultural studies approach as a teacher, and while I think it has some limits, you've outlined fantastic examples here. I'm reminded of an exhibit I once saw in Philadelphia with many artifacts from the 1910s, leading up to the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920 (so recently). The one that struck me the most was a Christmas stocking that said, simply, "Bring a vote for Mother."
Ha! I love that poster you link to! 'It's a funny thing that father cannot see that mother ought to have the vote.' Excellent stuff. I'm all for reading artworks as historical cultural sources. Thanks for reading, Joshua, and for sharing too.
Thanks so much for this review. I’m down in London for work pre-Christmas and this will be our treat (skipping gifts, she got tickets, I’m buying the nice lunch!) Whenever I think about the things I’ve liked most in an exhibition, it’s often the small everyday bits, the ephemera versus the showstopper.
Listened to the podcast yesterday Victoria! I could feel your excitement and irritation. I loved the description of the atmosphere in the exhibition. It fits so much with the almost relieved comraderie bound by common experience
Relieved camaraderie, that's exactly it! I love this way of putting it. Might use that in a later post ;-)
Loved this consideration of the exhibition, which sounds amazing, Victoria! Right up my street. I think your comments on the FT review are totally valid. Thank you for sharing :)
Thanks Kate. You must see the show if you can. It's on until next April, so a good long run I'm pleased to say.
Thank you for this amazing piece and discussion here. Alessandra’s statement was definitely something. Thank you for drawing attention to this too. And the ‘informer’’s statement left me speechless about people’s mindset.
The informer mindset is something else isn’t it? It’s the self censoring from political propaganda / fear. I’m going to write about it soon I think
Thank you for this post - I wouldn't have come across this exhibition otherwise and now your passionate vivid description of it has gotten me to plan a visit!
Excellent! Let me know what you think!
Definitely. The stagnant sexism that is extant within the bureaucracy of all artistic organizations around the world is proof enough.
Ha! yes, indeed. Thank you for reading, David
There's a word that keeps flashing in my mind in these days of political and social amnesia, caused mostly by the dopamine hits of social media, and that's context. Western society seems to have forgotten the value of understanding, and understanding through context. Nothing happens in a vacuum, in politics or in art.
It's all about context. That's the word I use most often with the students I teach!
Brilliant!
This point of invisibility can’t be stated enough. You really pack punch into your criticism of this FT Review, and rightly. What really strikes me is the way you felt immersed in the experience of this exhibition. It’s as if the reviewer went alone or after hours -- how could one ignore the buzz you describe? Your article brings up so many important points and questions, especially about the necessity of the continuation of this dialogue.
Trying to squeeze in a visit myself!
Let's go together, Kate! That review infuriated me so much that I couldn't not take an axe to it. There were other things that she said in the review that were equally infuriating but which I didn't even go there with. If you've got time, click on the link in my article to it... it's flippin' unbelievable to read!
Oh my gosh, I clicked. (cool way to share it by the way)
"...this domestic bleating is tone-deaf." Yes, there is/was important stuff in other countries, but that's not what this exhibit was about and it's as if she's saying 'I have no problem with casual sexism because we have bigger fish to fry.' I mean, standards!
So yes, let's go to the show! I see it's on until April. :)
Lovely piece (and great job with your voiceover, too). This reminds me of an old debate from graduate school, about whether cultural artifacts such as advertisements might be "texts." I enjoyed experimenting with that cultural studies approach as a teacher, and while I think it has some limits, you've outlined fantastic examples here. I'm reminded of an exhibit I once saw in Philadelphia with many artifacts from the 1910s, leading up to the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920 (so recently). The one that struck me the most was a Christmas stocking that said, simply, "Bring a vote for Mother."
Here's another gem: https://tinyurl.com/4yknu8k3
Ha! I love that poster you link to! 'It's a funny thing that father cannot see that mother ought to have the vote.' Excellent stuff. I'm all for reading artworks as historical cultural sources. Thanks for reading, Joshua, and for sharing too.
Great article. And thank you for drawing my attention to the story of Aleksandra. An extraordinary human being, and incredibly brave.
Thanks Richard, and yes, she's incredibly brave. Her statement to the court when her sentence was handed down was quite something.
Fascinating read👏
Thanks for reading Stygi, appreciate your comment
Thanks so much for this review. I’m down in London for work pre-Christmas and this will be our treat (skipping gifts, she got tickets, I’m buying the nice lunch!) Whenever I think about the things I’ve liked most in an exhibition, it’s often the small everyday bits, the ephemera versus the showstopper.
YES! agree on the small everyday works! Size doesn't matter in my opinion ;-) Let me know what you think of the exhibition!