Derek Jarman – Pandemonium

Iconic artist and director Derek Jarman’s relationship  with London is to be celebrated in a new show that will screen a number of his rarely-seen Super 8 films.

Burning the Pyramids (Art of Mirrors), Derek Jarman 1970 - 73

Source: LUMA Foundation

Burning the Pyramids (Art of Mirrors), Derek Jarman 1970 – 73

The show, which opens in January, marks the 20th anniversary of Jarman’s death and examines the artist’s affiliation with the capital and his artistic journey along the banks of the Thames and through the warehouse scene at Bankside and Butler’s Wharf.

Studio Bankside, Derek Jarman 1973 - 74

Source: LUMA Foundation

Studio Bankside, Derek Jarman 1973 – 74

The exhibition also couches the artist’s later work in the context of his studies in Medieval and Renaissance history and literature before he went to art school.

The three rarely seen Super 8 films on show at the exhibition are accompanied by Jarman’s notebooks which contain a wealth of insight into the seminal artist’s life and the processes involved in creating his films.

Jarman was a momentous figure in the art scene, forging his own path through the turbulent seventies and Thatcher’s bleak eighties. He ended his career in a supernova of creativity producing poetry, paintings, sculptures and actively campaigning against anti-gay law Section 28 until his death from an Aids related illness in 1994.

Derek Jarman

Source: Ray Dean

Derek Jarman

The exhibition is part of a series of events celebrating Jarman. Other projects include an installation at King’s College London Chapel in which Jarman’s film The Angelic Conversation will be played continuously for 24 hours.

On the same day a talk will be held by Neil Bartlett, the man responsible for the chapel installation, and Jarman’s friend Simon Watney in which they will discuss Jarman’s influence on the art and politics of the gay scene as well as the art of church memorials.

 Derek Jarman

Source: Ray Dean

Derek Jarman

The schedule culminates in a coach trip to Jarman’s Prospect Cottage at Dungeness, home to his famous sculpture garden.

The main exhibition Derek Jarman: Pandemonium runs from 23 January to 9 March 2014 in the Inigo Rooms of Somerset House East Wing, London WCR2. The exhibition is presented by the Cultural Institute at King’s and curated by Professor Mark Turner

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