Exhibition
16 September - 4 December 2011
Gallery 5 & 6
Reclaim the Mural began with an ambition to understand mural making in London, and why mural production has waned in recent decades. The exhibition in the gallery’s project spaces marks the mid point of the project and includes a group of collages displaying the research so far. These collages document conversations with people including muralists, mural preservation groups, those who oversee housing development, urban regeneration initiatives and people encountered from the market stall which became a project headquarters throughout the summer.
The collages indicate the many voices contributing to the project and reflect the group’s attempts to achieve consensus as they present their research. They confront the political, economic and cultural realities which the project encounters and ask questions about the social function of art. How does making a mural in a local community alter artistic decision-making? Why confront the difficulties of making an image collectively? How have changes in the distribution of art funding in recent decades affected mural production?
