1. Review on the exhibition:
My Yard
The exhibition, ‘My Yard’ was featured in the Whitechapel Art Gallery in East
London. This was not the only exhibition in the gallery, as the main show was about
Sophie Calle's work. However, this exhibition suited me because of its relation to my
own project. ‘My Yard’ was an exhibition mainly about Britain’s industrial history and
urban realities seen through the artist’s eyes; this can tie into architecture (the main
theme in my project). The show featured various artists work from all over Britain,
such as the Boyle Family to Paul Noble. This exhibition celebrates the work of British
artists about urban landscapes by bringing it altogether in one average-sized gallery
room.
This show was brought together by artists, Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane. They
explained the exhibition to have “ended up being about home. This subject may not
be recognisable though (anyone born after 1970) as in the 1980s the UK got a TV
makeover – a lick of paint and some up-lighters etc. but the work we are showing
indicate a Britain just below the plasterboard of this ‘flip’ job, a draughty and slightly
damp property with foundations that you feel connected it, back through mud and
bones, to all you think of when you talk of British history.”
Even though I was born after 1970, personally, I do get the idea of the artwork being
about the old Britain which I’ve never and will know. This is because of what I have
studied about Britain in the 20th Century. But this can differentiate for every individual
as their impressions may not be the same as mine.
There were many painting and 3D sculptures coming out from the canvases
explaining industrial Britain's history. Many of these artworks shows war and
destruction of landscapes because of the First and Second world war which
happened during the early – mid 20th century. One of which was a painting by
William Coldstream called 'London bombed site', 1946. This painting focuses on
where London was bombed during the Second World War; in this case, it was St
Nicholas Coln Abby & Bow Church. This painting gives the impression that nothing
bad has happened to the landscape as the buildings are not damaged, however this
can change due to the title of the painting, changing the atmosphere of the
landscape. On the other hand, this painting can give another impression because of
the title. This can show how Britain has developed since the war and how people can
work together and move on from the past. It can show Britain's development into the
future. This was an example of a painting done before Britain developed in the 20th
century.
Not only were there painting before 1970, there were painting after 1970 to show
how Britain changed their industrial living styles. One would be a painting from David
Hepher called 'Number 22',1972. This painting mainly focuses about urban houses
and their features such as the front door and windows. Compared to the other

2. artworks in the exhibition, this painting is more developed and is 'of our time'. I would
say that this was the most developed piece of urban landscape shown in the
exhibition. This painting is one of the few painting which does not give the
impression about war and destruction, it only shows how urban Britain has become
and how fast it developed throughout the 20th century.
Overall, I thought that this exhibition was successful in showing Britain's industrial
history and how it has become what we know to be the present Britain. This
exhibition is open until the 6th December, 2009 in gallery 7 of the Whitchapel art
gallery.