Artist David Hockney's first immersive show opens in London
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Painter David Hockney's first immersive show opened to the public in London this week, offering a hypnotic, multi-sensory journey through the artist's decades-long career, from sun-drenched California swimming pools to the Normandy countryside. Held in a single large space, the 360-degree projections feature some of his best-known works, as well as other rarely seen ones.
1 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Visitors attend the ‘David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)’ immersive exhibition at the Lightroom gallery in London, on February 22. The British painter’s first immersive show opened to the public on Wednesday, offering a high-tech, multi-sensory journey through his decades-long career. ( Daniel Leal / AFP)
2 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Visitors at David Hockney's immersive exhibition at the Lightroom gallery in London, on February 22. The 50-minute show uses virtual reality with immersive audio and visual techniques. Held in a single large space, the 360-degree projections feature some of his best known works as well as other rarely seen ones. (Daniel Leal / AFP)
3 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
"The world is a very very beautiful if you look at it. Most people don't look," says Hockney in a commentary that runs through the show, along with archive recordings. Now aged 85 and still painting, Hockney fully embraced the immersive concept, said Richard Slaney, chief executive of London's new Lightroom venue which co-developed the show with the artist. (Daniel Leal / AFP)
4 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
The exhibit grew out of an email Slaney sent Hockney back in 2019 suggesting a collaboration. "Maybe we thought we'd get some interviews and a little bit of time. In fact we've been back and forth to his house in Normandy over the past three years... and he's been in the room with us for the last three months every day," he told AFP. (Daniel Leal / AFP)
5 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Visitors seen at the exhibit with Hockney's ‘Looking at the flowers’ in the background, in London, on February 22. The exhibit is divided into six themed chapters delving into his creative processes and accompanied by a musical score by American composer Nico Muhly. (Daniel Leal / AFP)
6 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Hockney, who was born in Yorkshire in northern Britain in 1937, established himself as a major figure in the pop art movement, particularly after his 1967 "A Bigger Splash", capturing the moment after someone has dived into a swimming pool. "I am a person who likes to draw... I like looking at things," says Hockney during the show. (Daniel Leal / AFP)
7 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Several sections of the immersive exhibit focus on his landscapes in northern Britain's East Yorkshire and also Normandy, in northern France, where he spent the 2020 pandemic lockdown. "Sun I think drew me to Los Angeles... I just had a hunch that it was a place that I'd like," he recalls in a separate section dedicated to his California period. (Daniel Leal / AFP)
8 / 8
View Photos in a new improved layout
Published on Feb 23, 2023 04:44 PM IST