The Private Universe
Curatorship proposal for Starting Point
Contemporary Art Society and Leeds Art Gallery
Of the many themes that run through the history of art, I find there are two tendencies that although parallel, point to opposite directions. One is the impulse to explore the outdoors, the love for the great landscape and the sublime. The other, also intertwined with art at its core is a disposition for indoor activities, the private, the intimate, and the precious. Reviewing the list of works from the Leeds Art Gallery collection it is perhaps this last strand that resonates on my mind. The objects and artworks in the collection make me think of the private universes of libraries and drawing rooms, and the time-consuming, meticulous occupations that take place therein. This curatorship proposal sets to explore the private universe behind the practices of art through a selection of works such as sketches, studies and annotations, and the objects and spaces that surround them.
Central to the theme of the private universe is the idea of introspection, of looking in, and the artistic practices of creative association and abstraction. I would like to show how art is so much a product of thought and imagination as it is a demonstration of technical mastery. Items like Exercise book with notes and sketches by Henry Moore, and Object for Meditation I and II by Frank Avery Wilson can hint the direction of my interests as a curator. I find notebooks and annotations fascinating, allowing one to examine the relationship between image, text and thought. Upon study of the works, my selection would also include works on different mediums, by artists relevant to the topic at hand, such as Rita Donagh, Alexander Calder, and Barbara Hepworth. The collection also holds a series of furniture and household objects, particularly a chest of drawers, a writing table and a collector’s cabinet. I would like to complement the selection of works with these objects, to convey the exhibition’s underlying message: the power of abstract thought, imagination and creativity behind the practice of art.
This project sets to take advantage of the fact the Leeds Art Gallery is connected to the Leeds Central Library and the Henry Moore Institute. I envision an exhibition that not only acknowledges these features, but will actively encourage visitors to complement their experience, perhaps through smaller satellite displays, by visiting the Library and the Institute. I would like visitors to understand the ideas and creative processes behind the different works on display, allowing them to discover their own personal creative universes, no matter their age or knowledge of art.