Upstairs on the second floor of the newly situated Photographer's Gallery, lies Jim Goldberg's modest photographic exhibition, Open See. Through a series of polaroids and other memorabilia, Goldberg documents the experiences of people from socially and economically repressed countries attempting a new life in Europe.
The exhibit begins with snapshots of troubled and traumatic lives including those of trafficked women whose faces are mostly scratched out to protect their identities. They stare sorrowfully into the camera, their individual tales of torment scribbled below their photo. We're also presented with an array of bullet brushed skin peppered with protruding keloid scars and a vegetable collector who, curled up in his basket to sleep, tucks himself up in a white sheet. His limpidity resembles that of a dead body, appearing to be wrapped it's very own body bag and Goldberg's deliberate sense of foreboding continues to hang heavily throughout.
Goldberg's photos are extremely hard-hitting in their extremity yet, all at the same time, their honesty transforms into something particularly beautiful. In 'Man with a Goat' (above) Goldberg captures a Bangladeshi holding up a dead goat that he has salvaged from the rubbish engulfing him. Although clearly victorious with his catch, there is a sense of helplessness here; he appears lost at what to do next, as if, within the short moment he has allowed himself to relax, he has looked around, only to see the sadness of his pitiful situation dawn upon him.
My true favorite, was 'Girl in a pink dress' taken in Senegal. A young girl, with skin as jet black as the night, balances upon her 'castle'- a pile of rubble. She wears a striking fushia pink dress and small green flipflops and loiters all alone. With no other kids to play with, she is singularly foregrounded by crumbling grey stone walls drawing your eyes instantly to this colorful centerpiece. Standing tall, she resembles a last remaining flower in a concrete jungle, poking it's head through a barren landscape, void of any other sign of life.
Quite often in Goldberg's photographs, people stand alone or appear to be wondering, with no evidence of where they started or where they will end up. Scribbled underneath or over the top of the polaroid portraits are individual stories-one reads-'I have no where to go since there is war in my country. Now Greece does not want me where can I go?'.
This exhibition intentionally never reaches a climax. Even the photographs of Europe show images of suffering and pain, suggesting there is no true escape for these people. To further bring the journey to life, Goldberg's diary lies open in a glass cabinet in the centre of the room along with an email sent to him by a man named Eid Mohammad. Eid's message explains his despairing situation, ending with a desperate plea to Goldberg: 'My only hope is you. Have a nice life'. It was here that I too suddenly became aware of my situation, but unlike the man with the goat, my incredible luck in life slowly dawned upon me.
I do recommend this exhibition, although so impressed with it's scope and content I slightly wished it had been expanded into sculpture or even installation to create a more rounded experience. For those who happen to be in Oxford Street fancying a break from shopping and the crowded streets, this exhibit doesn't take an awful lot of time to walk around and there's a lovely cafe on the top floor where you can truly rest your feet.
Exhibit on show 16 October-January 17.
The history of India is explored to the richest level in the V& A's sensory seductive exhibition 'Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Courts'. As the doorman pushes the gallery's thick, golden door aside, you are welcomed into the bejwelled gallery space full of the luxurience of an Indian Kingdom. The rooms are abundent with the finest of jewels, robes, cars, paintings, photography and film all reveling in the affluence and exuberance of the Indian Royal Courts.
