Somaya Critchlow: The Chamber
Dulwich Picture Gallery presents The Chamber, London-based British artist Somaya Critchlow’s debut solo show in a UK public institution, made in response to our Collection of historic paintings.
Having known the Collection since childhood, Critchlow returns to exhibit a new body of work following a period of art historical and technical research, and in-depth observation of the Old Master paintings.
The one-room display features six newly commissioned works, including three large figurative paintings. Sketches created by the artist throughout her research are also presented, alongside selected works from our Collection.
Critchlow was struck by the narrative paintings of Peter Paul Rubens, Peter Lely and Anthony van Dyck. She is intrigued by the stories behind them, which are rooted in religion, literature, history, the imagination and mythology, including Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the ancient epic poem to which Critchlow herself was continually drawn to while creating her new works. She has often contemplated how these stories can mask complex power structures.
Drawing from the classical poses and dynamic gestures of the Old Masters, Critchlow is fascinated by history painting and the nude. Her own figures hover on the threshold of allowing their stories to be known intimately, while at the same time holding their distance.
The Chamber is part of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s ‘Unlocking Paintings’ series: thought-provoking displays that present new perspectives on the Gallery’s Collection.