Es Devlin to open new immersive exhibition that brings Devlin’s studio to life at Somerset House.
ES DEVLIN: Face to Face: 50 encounters with strangers is a new exhibition at Somerset House which includes an edition of CONGREGATION, the large-scale installation Devlin created in partnership with The Courtauld, King’s College and UK for UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, curated by Ekow Eshun at St Mary Le Strand in October this year.
The exhibition’s first room contains a replica of the artist’s studio. The second presents a new edition of her projection-mapped Congregation installation. In the third Devlin will show a series of new works including painted LED screens and projection mapped portraits. The exhibition is presented within the West Wing of Somerset House, directly accessible from the courtyard.
The exhibition’s title draws inspiration from Emmanuel Lévinas’s philosophical essay Totality and Infinity, which explores the nuances of face-to-face interactions. Over a period of four months, 50 strangers arrived, one by one, at Devlin’s studio in South London. She knew only their first name and that, at some point in their life, they sought refuge in London. After 45 minutes of silent reflection, she paused to hear their narratives, allowing their stories to inform the completion of each portrait. Each individual is depicted holding a gift, a box containing an animated projection that represents their journey and contributions to the diverse community of London. The studio in which these encounters took place will be recreated at Somerset House including all 50 original chalk and charcoal portraits in progress as well painted studies, books, notes and research materials as well as time lapse and documentary footage exploring Devlin’s process.
In a separate room, the drawings will be presented as a projection-mapped tiered structure. Additional voices of co-authors will be added to the sound installation for this new presentation by London composer duo Polyphonia which combines poetry and music to enhance the emotional resonance of the artworks.
Es Devlin said, “I’m keen to share with visitors the studio where 50 face to face encounters with strangers took place that profoundly changed me. These Londoners’ stories of dignified resilience made me proud to call myself a Londoner too: a pride with a forceful undertow of grief: grief that it had taken these encounters to awaken such pride”.
Emma Cherniavsky, Chief Executive of UK for UNHCR, said: " Congregation is an incredible opportunity for refugee co-authors to share their stories with London in a new way. We are excited to see how visitors will respond and hope the installation will inspire more support for and solidarity with refugees here and around the world."
Listings
23 November 2024 – 12 January 2025
Somerset House. Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
The exhibition is presented within the West Wing of Somerset House, directly accessible from the courtyard.
Free and open to the public 10am till 6pm daily.
Further Information: What's on | Somerset House