Exhibition review:

Reimagining the Victorians at the Djanogly gallery:

On the 3rd of October we went to visit an exhibition named 'Reimagining the Victorians' being held at the Djanogly gallery at the lakeside in Nottingham, the exhibition was being held from Saturday the 23rd of September until Sunday the 7th of January.

There were three rooms altogether, the first included photographs and sculptures, the second included drawings as well as a video piece and while walking around both areas were open and spacious, the third was full of taxidermy. Overall, I enjoyed this exhibition and found it very interesting, I particularly like going to exhibitions that include a variety of artists as there are then contrasting works and ideas that are being showcased. 

The main hall had a combination of photos and sculptures, it was spacious and open and I was able to walk all the way around each sculpture to see it from every angle. The second room was very bare, it had a large projection of a video playing with a sofa in front to allow the viewer to sit comfortably while watching, there were a few sketches, and images along the back wall but the lack of other art and physical objects allowed the audio coming from the video to be projected around the room and I believe that this caused it to be more impactful as it really contributed to the ambience of the room.

The part of the exhibition that I was most interested in was the taxidermy section, which highlighted the victorians passion for the natural world and their obsession with taxidermy. There were a few installations in this section and a couple of pieces on plinths in the middle of the room, however I don't believe that this caused the room to feel too crowded or busy, the area felt interactive and intimate I was able to get close to the artwork and view it in detail.

Two of my favourite pieces were 'the intruders' by Tessa Farmer. I found this piece very intriguing, it consisted of an antique books that appears to have been taken over by fungi and growth, and when looking closely I can see that there are small creatures named 'skeleton fairies' attacking the book. To me this piece feels very animated, it's telling a story and it invokes a mythical atmosphere. The earthy tones and shades that have been used cause the piece to feel warm and down to earth despite the scene that is being depicted , and the fine detail and intricacy used within this piece adds air of elegance to the overall work. I feel particularly connected to this piece as I am an avid nature lover and really enjoy folk lore and mythology so this piece speaks to me and I was instantly drawn in.

I chose 'butterflies and flowers' by Mat Collishaw as a piece that is in contrast to 'The intruders', in 'butterflies and flowers' in some ways, the colours and tones that are used are bright and bold, almost neon, they catch the eye immediately and draw the attention, there is one large focal point that takes up the majority of the image and when looking closely there are intricate patterns on the wings of the butterfly invoking an atmosphere of fragility. I believe that the butterfly being the main subject matter for this image allows the overall piece to feel whimsical and graceful which I think is similarity that I have found between these two pieces and perhaps why I like them both so much. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this exhibition and found the selection of work to be enjoyable and thought provoking.