Das & Xander do the Tate Britain

I spent the day at the Tate Britain with my much taller (and probably wiser) cousin. We, together with the OAPs, groups of school children being shepharded through the halls by weary teacher-folk and university art students, meandered through the exhibitions of works by Turner, Rubens and Titian.



The first piece we came upon was this mixed media sculpture by Bill Woodrow, an ironic homage to the classic nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty. The title of the piece: 'English Heritage - Humpty Fucking Dumpty', dated 1987 serves to represent what Woodrow calls 'a section through history'. The artist aims to make his audience question British heritage by highlighting, in a seemingly innocent way, the brute force the country uses against other countries or groups of people in order to protect what it perceives to be its national interests. Woodrow's sculpture, made from discarded objects and materials found on the streets of South London, was originally created as an observation of the British jingoism of the 1980s, however, it seems ever more poignant today following the rise of Islamaphobia in response to terrorism. How far will Britain, and its government, go in order to dislodge what it believes to be a threat to its national identity? And is it focussing on the right one?



Continuing on the theme of using art to question political and cultural issues, this photographic work by Carey Young, explores the impact of globalised capitalism on artistic production. This piece is among a series of eight photographs entitled Body Techniques that aims to address the interrelationship between art and commerce.

Young is shown within the context of the rapidly growing corporate landscapes of Dubai and Sharjah. The ambiguity of whether we are supposed to perceive her as trying to fit herself into the changing landscape or resist it provides the key dilemma to her work. The spectator is left pondering whether the answer is to beat 'em or indeed join 'em. The world is constantly changing, both aesthetically and physically, and whether we choose to oppose it or accept it, the changes are going to affect us so what comes next, is up to us...



JMW Turner's 'Apollo and Python' (exhibited 1811) takes inspiration from the 'Hymn to Apollo' by the Greek poet, Callimacchus, which tells of Apollo's necessary defeat of the giant dragon, Python, before being able to build a temple for his oracle Delphi.

Turner's artistic interpretation of the tale is the traditional manifestation of good over evil, however, his inclusion of a smaller snake emerging from the dragon's fatal wound suggests another layer. Is Turner presenting the idea that no matter how hard we try to overcome the bad in the world, there is an inescapable cycle of good versus evil? Perhaps the world cannot survive unless one is balanced by the other. It is my belief that we need the bad in order to appreciate the good.



And, to finish on a romantic note, this beautiful painting by John Everett Millais, entitled 'Hearts are Trumps' reveals three sisters playing cards. The title refers not only to the act itself, but also to the hoped-for suitors who may come to claim the hearts of these young girls. Maybe if the girls of today put a bit more thought and strategy into their "game plan" than listening to faddy relationship columnists and Hollywood ideals, they would find suitors lining up down the street??!