Shelagh Wakely; A View from a Window, Camden Arts Centre

In a beautifully focused retrospective at the Camden Arts centre, Shelagh Wakely is highlighted as an installation art pioneer

Background

Camden Arts Centre has a reputation for holding exhibitions that examine the life and work of a single artist with both rigour and clarity. In previous years the likes of Bruce Lacey and Bas Jan Ader have found whole new audiences thanks to exhibitions here. This summer the spotlight will be turned on the late installation art pioneer Shelagh Wakely. In her highly influential work Wakely celebrated the evocative power of nature, so it is fitting that not just the gallery, but also Camden Arts Centre's idyllic garden is being given over to the exhibition.

The Exhibition

The exhibition, entitled A View from a Window, has been put together with the help of the Brazilian artist Tunga; a friend and collaborator of Wakely. The two artists shared many influences as well as a delicate and ephemeral aesthetic. One of Wakely's works included in A View from a Window is made entirely from aromatic turmeric, applied to the gallery floor through a stencil.

The exhibition also incorporates Wakely's prints, videos, ceramics and her exploratory drawings. A room will be dedicated to one of the artist's stencilled and cut silk installations; an apparently simple work which undergoes dramatic changes as the light moves across the room throughout the day.

The Garden

In the gallery's garden one of Wakely's outdoor pieces will be recreated; Rainsquares, which was inspired by the artist's own garden and originally commissioned for St. George’s Hospital in Tooting. The garden will also feature work by Wakely's contemporaries Alison Wilding, Richard Deacon and Susan Hiller. During A View from a Window, part of the garden will be given over to plants with medicinal qualities, such as angelica, caraway, chervil, parsley and anise. Camden Arts Centre's garden is a wonderful oasis of calm just off Finchley Road. This exhibition is the perfect excuse to pay it a visit.