‘Child’s Play’ at the Norman Rea Gallery: An exposé of the Power of Memory, Childhood and Innocence 

11/10/2024

Georgina Spriddell reviews NRG’s first Exhibition of the new academic Year

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Image by Emily Kirk

By Georgina Spriddell

Two evenings ago, I was delighted to visit the Norman Rea Gallery for the opening night of their first exhibition of this academic year, entitled ‘Child’s Play.’ The aim of the exhibition, according to the press release, was to come tete-à-tete with a long-standing criticism of modern art: that ‘my child could have done this’. The collation of mixed-media pieces gathered carefully by the curators, Evie Brett and Iris Beck, highlighted ideas of lost and found memory, exploring the transitory nature of youth and infanthood.

The pieces were assembled in stages according to the artist, and the atmosphere was inquisitory – helped by the low lighting and specifically curated playlist that aired through speakers across the gallery. I was impressed with the turnout – visitors piled in and out throughout the evening, conversations brimming with curiosity and individual takes on the different pieces. I overheard several conversations where someone spotted an element of a piece that resonated with a memory of theirs about or from their childhood. This encouraged me greatly – we often visit galleries and hear nothing but the relative silence of those around us. The range of conversation provoked by the different mediums on display is a testament to Brett’s idea of creating this theme that is relatable to all.

Is viewing the world through the lens of infanthood, childhood, or teenagerhood a position of inferior perception? Or can it be observant in a manner lost through a constant yearning for ‘maturity’? This exhibition highlights that we can never truly remember how we saw things as a three-year-old, but that our memory and vision of the world around us at that age is no less valuable as an artistic medium. The memory and experience lost through ageing is a particularly thought-provoking element to many of the works on display. One work in particular went in for the jugular – a portrayal of a mother and child by Matilda Philips in Oil and Acrylic paint, entitled Baby Blues. The shape of the mother is in silhouette, a blank blue form. In contrast, the baby is fully illustrated, with only the eyes hollowed out into subtle dark voids. It is reminiscent of Madonna and Child pieces in its style. The artist reveals in the description that the painting resembles how the existence of oneself as a baby is undeniable, but the lack of memory and inability to process surroundings reduces the period to one of simply being. The simplicity of this notion gives rise to a viewing of the world in a way the adult mind cannot any longer comprehend. Through art, however, we may achieve glimpses.

The portraits of Diane Meyer and Lillian Tagg delve into the realm of found photography. Tagg recreates the faces of their subjects in a subtly unsettling form “The awkwardness of the figures is an attempt to capture the lack of consciousness of appearance in childhood and before social media and frequent self-relection,” (Tagg on Untitled and Ugly Girl's Birthday Party, Oil on Board).

The exhibition was designed partly in response to the book Why Your Five-Year-Old Could Not Have Done That by Susie Hodge, combating the perception of certain pieces of modern and contemporary art as being overly simplistic and ‘easy’. This approach aligns with art theorists like Lynda Barry, who have advocated for the significance of play in fostering creativity, and it gives voice to artists who explore the naiveté and spontaneity of childhood. The interactive media elements of the exhibition, such as the use of books and drawings helped viewers understand the curatorial approach, by encouraging them to see the art through a childlike lens. One piece in particular used different page materials and threads to engage the sense of touch, whilst interspersing sewn phrases like “I can’t remember her yet she lives inside me”. The juxtaposition here provoked a twinge of sad realisation for me personally.

'Child's Play' successfully celebrates the imaginative potential of children, and its careful curation encourages a broader appreciation for the ways in which remembrance of our own infanthood can contribute to contemporary art discourse. The opening night was a success, and I would encourage anyone – be they a seasoned critic or an enthusiastic fresher – to go along.

Editor’s Note: The exhibition is open in the Norman Rea Gallery, Derwent College, until Friday 25th October.