Graves Gallery is home to many permanent and temporary art pieces throughout the year. With one of their temporary exhibitions, Outside Narration, closing soon, I had to see it before the exhibition finally closes.
Outside Narration highlights alternative perspectives on established narratives, particularly focused on the experiences of the black dispersed population in the last few centuries. It looks at history and the ways the African population has been seen and reflected by western cultures, as well as artefacts related to African history, both in this country and across the world.
The collection is incredibly striking and speaks volumes to the history we may learn about and more importantly the history we don’t. Whilst the abolition of slavery and increased civil rights are rightly celebrated in the wider world, the exhibition speaks to the hardships that were still felt, including through racial slurs. ‘The Seven Rages of Man’ by curator Keith Piper is easily the most striking, with seven neck and partial head sculptures arranged in a timeline from one end of the room to the other.
My only critique with this exhibition is its organisation. Both ‘The Seven Rages of Man’ and the wider collection’s timelines begin at one end of the room and end at the other. This meant that one half I saw from present to past, and the other half of the exhibition from past to present. Whilst this may work for some, I think it would be more beneficial to have the same direction of progression throughout the whole exhibition, rather than half and half.
Outside Narration is a poignant but important look into a past that isn’t widely explored in detail, with many thought-provoking and powerful art pieces.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Outside Narration is on display in Graves Gallery until December 2nd
