‘Bookmare’ at Camberwell Space (12-13 July)
Curated by Susan JohanKnecht and Finlay Taylor
Seeing this show reminded me of an article in Art Monthly a few months ago, about participation. The last paragraph of the article gave a nod to participation as a private experience, rather than the olympic crowd-pleasing spectacles that are appearing everywhere. I associate the experience of reading a book (for pleasure) with intimacy; a gentle unfolding slow discovery. Encountering the works in this show felt like reading a great book – both private and connecting to a bigger whole.
The physical exhibition space was small and contained but like great poetry, each piece had clearly been thoughtfully positioned; relationships and juxtaposition carefully considered. The work required effort to engage, and interpretation material was minimal, but the rewards were rich and long-lasting.
The curators’ gave a talk and there were a series of performances/talks; opportunities to pose questions, share thoughts and open-up. This, for me, felt like meaningful participation. A real contrast to the rigid (closed) structure of the Stephen Willat’s show next door at SLG (report coming soon).
