Claude Cahun & Sarah Pucill: Magic Mirror, Nunnery Gallery

French surrealist Claude Cahun and contemporary filmmaker Sarah Pucill combine forces at a new exhibition at Nunnery Gallery in Bow that explores gender, self and identity. While you may not have heard of Claude Cahun, the crossdressing, gender neutral artist was a fascinating character that refused to conform during the Second World War, and provides the inspiration for Pucill's new video work. 
Claude Cahun biography
Born Lucy Schwob into a wealthy Jewish family, Cahun was a prolific writer for Surrealist publications and an avid activist in the fight against fascism in 1930s France. Leader of the Surrealist Movement, André Breton, even referred to Cahun as 'one of the most curious spirits of our time'. If you love Francesca Woodman's monochromatic photographs or Cindy Sherman's transformation into different characters, you'll love exploring Cahun's photographs and writings on display. 
Nunnery Gallery exhibition
Inspired by Claude Cahun, Sarah Pucill has restaged many of her black and white photographs alongside extracts of her book Aveux Non Avenus (Confessions Denied) in a new film called Magic Mirror. Suddenly Cahun's still photographs come to life as moving videos in a powerful reimagination of Cahun's exploration into gender divisions. Look out for the particularly captivating self-portrait of Cahun in disguise as an elderly lady clasping a Nazi badge between her teeth. 
All part of the Nunnery Gallery's 2015 In Dialogue season, this show is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about this rebellious Surrealist. 
Private View: Thursday, 16 April 6pm - 9pm