Since 2010, the Talbot Rice Gallery has hosted 71 exhibitions, with only one successfully held in 2020 amid the profound disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As international conditions improved in 2021, signalling a resurgence of art and culture, the gallery triumphantly presented three exhibitions. “The Normal,” the inaugural art exhibition of 2021, grappled with themes unmistakably pertinent to the post-pandemic era. As life resumed, artists and art exhibitions sought fresh narratives, steering away from the prevalent focus on the epidemic.

One particularly intriguing installation, “This song is for…,” caught the attention for its relevance to the post-epidemic era and its exploration of violence against black, brown, feminine, queer, and vulnerable bodies. Gabrielle Goliath, the artist behind this thought-provoking work, employed integrated media to portray the potential dangers faced by this generation. (James Clegg, 2021) What captivated me more was the curator’s astute use of lighting and the site, seamlessly blending the work’s atmosphere into the gallery space. This transformed the interior of the classical building into what appeared to be a malleable white box space despite its inherent architectural characteristics.

Curating exhibitions within classical art buildings often presents two challenges: first, the delicate task of harmonising the relationship between the exhibits and the ambience, and second, the necessity of preventing the inherent artistry of the building from overshadowing the narrative structure of the exhibits. The success of the curation at Talbot Rice Gallery in navigating these challenges is evident in the way they curated “This song is for…,” creating an immersive experience that seamlessly merged the contemporary with the classical. This showcased the art world’s resilience in the face of adversity and underscored the gallery’s ability to adapt and innovate within the ever-evolving landscape of post-pandemic art.

 

Talbot Rice Gallery introduces “The Normal,” a curated exhibition that dynamically captures the essence of life during the pandemic. Developed in real-time, it serves as a vibrant reflection of our collective experience amid the challenges of the past years. The exhibition delves into themes of hope, grief, survival, violence, and solidarity through diverse artworks, seamlessly situating our lived experiences within a broader global artistic dialogue.

Artists featured in the exhibition explore nuanced concepts, such as the halting of societal progress, the resurgence of communities, the growing proximity between humans and wildlife, and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on social, economic, and racial grounds. This exploration takes place against the backdrop of a pressing need for a profound reorientation toward planetary health, prompted by the stark wake-up call of the pandemic.

One particularly compelling contribution to “The Normal” comes from South African artist Gabrielle Goliath. Goliath reimagines the conventional dedication song in collaboration with women and gender-queer musical ensembles. Each song is devoted to a survivor of rape, with Goliath working extensively with groups of survivors who contribute their voices, colours, and text to the artwork. The result is a powerful space for reflection, challenging the ‘normalcy’ of rape culture – an issue acknowledged by the UN as a ‘shadow pandemic’ due to a global increase in domestic abuse during the coronavirus crisis.

Background

In crafting her artwork in South Africa, a country grappling with one of the highest rates of rape globally, Gabrielle Goliath addressed the deeply entrenched issue of sexual violence. Within the context of a society shaped by patriarchal norms, these gender constructs contribute significantly to the perpetuation of a culture of rape, often exacerbated by ineffective and complicit institutions tasked with addressing and penalising perpetrators. (James Clegg, 2021, 42) Goliath’s commitment to confronting this pervasive issue led her to immerse herself in the lives of survivors, resulting in a collaborative effort where images, sounds, lights, and other fragments of the installation artwork were co-created. The very essence of the artwork reflects the lived experiences of the victims, making every detail a poignant echo of the prevailing rape culture.

In the artist’s own words, “This song is for…” serves as a resistance against the systemic violence that routinely objectifies black, brown, feminine, queer, and vulnerable bodies. Its overarching goal is to subvert the norms embedded in patriarchal systems, particularly the structural violence that thrives on dichotomies and fixed identities. Instead, the artwork strives to carve out a space for nuance, empathy, and emotion, fostering a critical dialogue that challenges the status quo and encourages reevaluating societal norms.

Upon encountering Gabrielle Goliath’s artwork, a profound question emerged: how do historic spaces and modern artworks blend classical and contemporary? Talbot Rice Gallery, with its cream-white walls, wooden floors, soaring arched doorways, and Greek stone columns, forms a canvas ideally attuned to the warm yellow sunlight. “This sound is for…” challenged to strike a delicate balance between these classical elements and a contemporary video art installation that would ensure the integrity of the artwork without destroying the enduring relationship between the gallery and its various creations.

This narrative installation, a testament to the post-epidemic era, serves as a catalyst for reawakening the human self-consciousness that may have remained dormant for two years. A pivotal question surfaces in this uncertain post-pandemic landscape: where do we navigate from here? Will the hardships endured during the pandemic gradually fade as it recedes into the past? Are the expressions witnessed reflective of genuine instincts in the context of a pandemic? It compels us to introspect, prompting a return to the core essence of humanity, akin to children seeking solace in their mother’s embrace. We are also endeavouring to explore how modernity can embrace the classics.

During a turbulent social environment that tests our rationality, this introspection allows us to reevaluate ourselves. As we engage in this self-examination, we inevitably question the contemporary and the classical intersection. This inquiry transcends the confines of the gallery walls, echoing a broader exploration of the evolving relationship between tradition and innovation in the ever-shifting landscape of art and human experience.

The Normal is full of dialogue. There is an invisible bond between the audience and the works, which allows them to have a conversation and interaction with the gallery when they are in the exhibition. This sound is for… was presented to the audience in the gallery. Still, it is a dialogue between the audience and the gallery from three perspectives: the light and shadow in the video artwork, the natural light and atmosphere of the gallery, the song’s content and the real world, and the dialogue between the artist and visitors. We should not only consider the problems exposed by the epidemic as a trigger in the post-epidemic era but also see the problem that continues to grow along with the present era: feminism.