Barbed wire, a mother and child, and a refugee camp

I was glad to attend the Private View this evening for Gilly Szego: A Retrospective which is hosted by Protein Studios in Shoreditch. The exhibition is the largest curation of Szego's work to date and showcases pieces from over seven decades, from early watercolours, through to the portraits for which she is best known. At 85 years old, Szego is still producing artwork and this exhibition also includes her show from last year, Opposites: Conflict and the Human Mind.

Gilly Szego: A Retrospective also includes photographs and works by other artists that tell the story of her career as a painter, including a portrait by Feliks Topolski. With over 50 pieces, spanning seven decades, the exhibition includes privately-owned works that have never been exhibited before.

I was particularly interested to see Mother and Child a painting shown in the St Martin-in-the-Fields refugee action programme in 1972, as part of efforts to raise awareness of the plight of Ugandan refugees. This canvas surrounded by barbed wire depicts a mother and child scene in a refugee camp, but set in such a way that people would mistake it for the Madonna and Child. Szego said at the time that 'if Jesus Christ had been born in 1972, it would have most likely been in a refugee camp.' She couldn't have known when she painted it in 1972 that 45 years later it would still look as if it was painted last week. 

Venue: Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY
Dates: 7th - 12th December 2017
FREE ENTRY

Opening Times:
Thu 7 Dec: 10am til 4pm (Open to Public)
Thu 7 Dec: 6.30pm til 10pm (Private View, by invitation only)
Fri 8 Dec: 10am til 6pm
Sat 9 Dec: 11am til 7pm
Sun 10 Dec: 11am til 6pm
Mon 11 Dec: 10am til 6pm
Tue 12 Dec: 10am til 4pm

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Paul Simon - Homeless.