My Favourite Exhibitions of 2021
2021 seems to have flown by. Like 2020 it was a year of challenge for the majority of people. Whilst it saw the UK coming out of it’s lockdown and a return to what we can deem ‘the new normal’, it hasn’t been an easy road. For me, it was a time of reflection and a time to process the events of the past year and a half.
However, I also found myself reconnecting with the things that I enjoyed. Obviously, visiting museums and temporary exhibitions was one of them. Below is a short summary of some of my favourite exhibitions that I had the pleasure to visit this year.
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, Victoria and Albert Museum
This first exhibition featured in my article, at the beginning of the year, on my most anticipated exhibitions of 2021. I visited this exhibition in May when venues were just starting to timidly let the public back in. Since this was one of the first retrospectives I visited after lockdown, it has a lot of emotional significance for me, and I remember the joy of stepping into that first room which gave an insightful look into the life of Alice in Wonderland’s author Lewis Carroll. Journeying through the remaining rooms saw an examination of the impact of Carroll’s Surrealist novel on the world of art, from fashion to theatre.
Rock ’n’ Roll with Me: Bowie/MacCormack 1973–76, Brighton Museum
If your fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be someone who knows me personally, having this exhibition on my list will come as no surprise. Being raised by a mother who loves David Bowie meant that I was going to grow up with his music. Whilst there is numerous material on his life and career, having an exhibition consisting of photos taken by his close friend Geoff MacCormack created an intimacy that can be hard to convey. What made visiting this exhibition even more special is the fact that I got to visit it with friends who I hadn’t seen since before lockdown!
A Year in Art: Australia 1992, Tate Modern
A Year In Art: Australia 1992 joins together a collection of media looking at the debates surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights in Australia. It starts with the 1992 Court ruling in favour of Torres Strait Islander land — rights activist Edward Koiki Mabo in which the terra nullius (land belonging to no-one) doctrine, used by the British to colonise land, was overturned. The retrospective explores the use of art in exploring the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have with their land, along with the long-lasting impact of colonisation upon them.
The British Library — Tate Modern
The British Library by Yinka Shonibare CBE is an installation of 6,328 books, about a third of them with the names of first- or second-generation immigrants who have contributed to and shaped the path of art, culture, science, and politics. It shows the impact of immigration on British culture. The names of those who have also opposed immigration appear on the shelves. Visitors are invited to explore the collection and add their stories about immigration via tablets which sit on a table in the middle of the room. I really enjoyed seeing an exhibition that had employed elements of participatory practice to get it’s audiences thinking and talking about this topic.
Painting Freedom: Indian Modernism and it’s Three Rebels — Leicester Museum and Art Gallery
I always take the time to visit the museums on my doorstep in order to support them. Leicester Museum and Art Gallery has had some absolutely stunning exhibitions over the years, and Painting Freedom is no exception. From its exploration of the Bengal School and western influence on style, to the analysis of Hemen Mazumdar, Jamini Roy and Rabindranath Tagore and their fight for cultural independence the space gives a concise but intriguing account of the development of Indian Modern Art.
Looking Forward…..
I’m hoping to continue visiting museums and art galleries in 2022 and perhaps venture to other countries. I’ve enjoyed travelling around England as well as being delighted by the exhibitions on my doorstep.
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