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Tate Britain Migrations: Journeys into British Art


As the world descends on London for the Olympics, Tate Britain's Migrations: Journeys into British Art reflects upon the richness of the influences on British art and culture of the waves of migrations over the past five hundred years. Although the exhibition has been running since the end of January, its final weeks have a special resonance in the context of the 2012 games.

The theme of journey is manifested in a variety of ways in the exhibition, not least the startling journey from 16th century Netherlandish portraiture of the British court, to 21st century film installations (which are, as the exhibition points out, in themselves journeys). The design of the exhibition invites the visitor to trace his/her own path through the displays. The exhibition guide plots the journeys made by Bonnie Greer, Michael Rosen and Shami Chakrabati, who also each share their selections of highlights, with some interesting points of connection.

Migrations has been criticised for not advancing a strong thematic argument, or for the selection of works and themes being somewhat arbitrary (which owes at least in part to the fact that the works have almost exclusively been chosen from within the Tate's collection). However, perhaps these apparent shortfalls are owing to the nature of the subject; migrations of other cultures into Britain have been so numerous across the centuries that it is impossible to trace a single narrative and any attempt to tell the story will necessarily be highly selective (and creating the opportunity to display works from the Tate's stores is surely to be commended).

One narrative to be explored in the exhibition is religious identities. Aside from the broad scope for reflection on journeys, pilgrimage, diasporas and so on, which the theme might inspire in the visitor, there are several direct references to religious identities.

A whole section of the exhibition is devoted to "Jewish Artists and Jewish Art", which examines the impact of two exhibitions at the Whitechapel Gallery at the beginning of the twentieth century: Jewish Art and Antiquities in 1906, and A Review of Modern Movements in 1914, which featured a section on Jewish works. For me, one of the most powerful pieces in the exhibition was Jacob Kramer's Jews at Prayer (c.1919), an almost monochrome image of repeating, geometric figures, who are at once closely-knit as they interlock, and distant in their identical, expressionless features, simultaneously powerfully evoking Jewish identity, and brings into question the notion of individual identity (is the apparent lack of individuality in this image to be praised or lamented?).

There is a nod to Christianity in F. N. Souza's Crucifixion (1959). Souza (1924-2002) was brought up in a strict Catholic family in Goa, moving to London in 1949; thus, his inheritance represents multi-layers of cultural migration. Rejecting the sentimental religious imagery he was exposed to in his schooling, he instead dwells in images of religious subjects on suffering, and even vengeance and anger. The Crucifixion is a tortured and troubling image which at once commands and repels the viewer's attention.

Moving into more recent decades, two works explicitly reference Islamic themes: Rasheed Araeen's mixed-media Bismullah (1988; several of Araeen's minimalist sculptures also feature) and Rosalind Nashashibi's film Hreash House (2004). Bismullah is a grid comprising four photographs of candles, four canvasses in green and gold motif, and in the centre of photograph of goat's blood on the floor. These motifs reference Islamic rituals and motifs, but also have resonance across religious traditions; candles having an almost universal spiritual significance, and themes of blood and sacrifice being particularly powerful across the Abrahamic traditions. At the same time, this central image of spilt blood seems to rupture the composition, as if ceremonial or social structures cut through one's relationship with God (the title is a corruption of 'Bismi'llah' - "In the name of Allah" - to mean 'in the name of the priest'). Nashashibi's (who is English, of Irsh-Palestinian descent) film documents her one-month residency with the Hreash family, near Nazareth, in the run-up to Ramadan. The film uncovers layers of beauty in domestic life: in family interactions, the routine of daily rituals (both sacred and banal), domestic objects and vistas. The theme of journey is present in the narratives which unfold - the preparation of a family feast, the coming together of the family.

This exhibition raises more questions than it answers (which for me makes it a refreshing change from some over-didactic shows), so take a friend, make your own journeys around the exhibition, then discuss.

Migrations: Journeys into British Art runs at Tate Britain until 12 August. For details and ticketing visit: www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/migrations The theme of journey continues at Tate Britain in Patrick Kieller's commission The Robinson Institute (to 14 October, free), and A is for Britain, an A to Z of free activities devised by artists that create ways for visitors to engage with the works on display and the building itself (to 11 September).

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