Sometimes the sideshow is the star
I went to see a Picasso exhibition at the Tate Modern in London recently.
It’s on the Southbank of the River Thames, one of my favourite places.
I had great company, going with a friend who is a member, and it was a Friday morning, so not too busy.
We walked through Borough Market to get there, so even in the November rain it was a hive of international visitors and delicious smelling food from a range of stalls, cafés and restaurants.
The Picasso exhibition was the main event. It was nice. I could tick the culture box.
But for me it didn’t live up to the hype and expectation of ‘Picasso’.
I came away feeling more indifferent than inspired.
It turns out the sideshow was the star.
On the way out of the converted industrial building, we stopped by an exhibition in the turbine hall.
The physical art installation there by Máret Ánne Sara, a Sámi artist from a reindeer herding family in Sápmi, had something to say.
Walking through this mini maze made of sticks was an experience.
It surrounded seating areas covered in reindeer hides, with headphones to listen to a narrative.
I felt an instant emotional connection to the Nordic location, the ecological challenge experienced by reindeer herders and the indigenous community, and the fragility of our world.
Whatever your taste in art, and whatever inspires or connects to you emotionally, this was a reminder to be aware of what is going on around the intended main event, and not to miss it.
What might transform us if we look around us?
If we open a door that we may not have noticed or expected?
Image Credit: Hyundai Commission Maret Anne Sara. Photo © Tate (Larina Fernandez)
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