Subversive Spaces, Revisited

So back in February I wrote on the Subversive Spaces opening at the Whitworth Gallery, expressing my lukewarm reaction to the show and to the space. I stated in my previous post that I hoped to revisit the exhibition sans the opening night crowds and distractions, and I have finally had a chance to do precisely that. I was able to see the show again, as co-curater Sam Lackey took my coursemates and me around the exhibition, answering questions and offering explanations for the presence of certain pieces.

Indeed, having a curator show you around their own show makes the relationship between the pieces seem quite obvious, to be sure. My previous feelings of incoherence have been replaced by feelings of a hyper-coherence of sorts... Sam explained to us that the show has been in the works for over a decade, and one begins to question whether it was, in fact, too thought out. Certainly, not everyone can look at Bellmer and Mona Hatoum and see an immediate connection. 

Still, one of the main issues I had with the show was my lack of understanding for the presence of hysterical women, which is something I would like to retract whole-heartedly. Indeed, Sam's explanations seem plebeian to me now, as the connections between the hysterical woman and the domestic space appear so poignant. For instance, these pieces by Surrealist photographer Claude Cahun and contemporary installation artist Lucy Gunning:

Claude Cahun, 1932

Lucy Gunning, Still from Climbing Around My Room, 1994 video installation

Right? The domestic space as suffocating, as prison-- hence, hysteria. Clearly. One can, perhaps, see how this could be construed as subversive. In any case, the connection is quite obvious upon second glance.

Sam also made obvious that the show was broken into two parts: the private and public. In this way, the lack of cohesion between the two sides was intentional, as the private housed a more dramatic version of the surreal and the public took on a more playful sense for the surrealist flaneur. This was my favorite part of the show at the opening and remains my favorite part now, as the Surrealist notion of the outmoded fascinates me. I also feel this part of the exhibition lives up to the title of a 'subversive space' more than the previous, offering new views of familiar landscapes.

So, moral of the story, you need to go see this show. You have until 04 May, so no excuses, darlings.