What I learned from Gina Long last night

The other night Jane and I were invited to the private viewing of Gina Longs debut exhibition Square Peg Round Hole. It wasn’t her first set of paintings, but it was her first full-on exhibition at the iconic venue of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, in Bury St Edmunds. It was indeed a full-on experience that demanded my attention in a whole bunch of ways that I hadn’t expected. Here is what I learnt.

Art tells a story.

‘Square Peg Round Hole’ was Gina’s way of trying to describe that experience we all have at certain time(s) in our life where we just don’t feel we fit in. All the way back to C S Lewis’ powerful essay The Lure Of The Inner Ring[1], to the way to the other night, the metaphor has made sense to me. As I walked into the cathedral my first uncensored response was two-fold. “Wow!” (The mixture of the imposing art within an imposing architecture, struck me) and “I feel out of place here”. A square peg. I suddenly felt like I didn’t fit. My instant impression was the vault-like space was full of the rich of Suffolk, dressed in their London best, casual or beautiful, I felt like the slightly scruffy kid from Essex again. Of course, my reaction was so full of assumptions and judgements, but that’s the point of that feeling…it is reliably inaccurate.

Abstract artists take a feeling, or an idea, and abstract the meaning into an image without words. It is an entirely right-brain activity. Gina found the visceral image of that moment in her art, where words always fall short. This was the story she wanted to tell.

Great art demands your attention

Like any cathedral of note, you walk through the door, and your eyes are drawn immediately upwards. (but unlike most cathedrals, we were greeted with a glass of champagne and salmon canapes). Almost immediately after the upwards pull, there was an upwards pull of the large, mounted canvases of the art. Art that demands your attention will, by definition create a reaction. “Wow” or, “I wouldn’t have that on my walls”. The shape of the reaction isn’t important, but the engagement is. The conversation with total strangers. The curiosity. The reflection about what was the artists story and perspective. The self-examination as to why I am reacting the way that I am.

Context is everything

One of my favourite TV series of yesteryear was NYPD Blue. The characters were so brilliantly drawn. One comment from one of the detectives was so simple, that it could almost sound trite, but was in fact very profound. “Everything is a situation”

Because everything is a situation. Everything is in a context of time, place, era, relationship. This art in this context worked, because they worked together. They were both imposing, both had cathedral-like quality of lifting up your head, both offered an invitation to explore something greater than ourselves.

Exploring context is underrated these days. Who you live with, where you live, the culture of the work-place we are in, the community we live in…they all have a great effect on how we are able to give the best of ourselves to the world.

How big am I?

I’ve been to a few private viewings over the years. Being married to an artist makes this inevitable. But this exhibition was epic. It was London or New York, in humble Bury.

The exhibition was a manifestation of the big-ness.

Gina is a large character

She owns her gifts

Her art is big

The event was big.

Lots of artist have confidence about their work, but less self-belief about their right to occupy a larger space in the world. We all have amazing potential in our lives but many of us only occupy a small area of what our potential invites us to offer the world occupy in the world. 

Potential + Confidence + Self Belief + Courage to take risks + Perseverance + Growing networks – all are needed to fulfil our potential in life, whatever that may be. Marianne Williamson’s famous lines, quoted by Nelson Mandela at his inaugural speech said[2],

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure”

and

“Your playing small doesn’t serve the world”

The Cain and Abel syndrome reminds us that we would often rather cut down the tall poppies to make ourselves feel more comfortable, than rise to the challenge of living a fully lived life, with all its inherent risks of failure and shame.

A Purpose Larger Than Ourselves.

When we walked into the exhibition, we could see that spread around the room were a large number of young people – 48 to be exact. Some were serving food, some were standing by each piece of art, some were taking photographs and some were mixing sound. All of them came from the local Bury College and all were invited to take part in the evening. In preparation they had all been invited to Gina’s studio and had an immersive look and discussion with her about the art and what their own reactions were. On the evening, at each piece of art, we asked these students for their view on what they saw. Everyone’s answer was different. She had trusted them to give their own interpretations and responses. She didn’t in any way prescribe or control them. There was no groupthink here and they challenged us to engage in our own way too and to think differently.

How many older people do you or I know who take the time to invest so generously in the next generation. To invite them to come along with us to something we are doing. I had a Principal at College once called Billy Strachan, who every time he went out to give public talks took a few students with him. The experience, the conversation, the mentoring, were a priceless investment. No one forgot him when he died. I have long believed that every single adult of good heart and character should be mentoring the upcoming generation. Here was an example of that in spades.

This was an exhibition and an artist who demanded my attention, not about them, not out of a large content of ego (we all have ego content to some measure); not “look at me”, but “LOOK”

Look at your life

Look at your questions

Look at your potential

Look at your context

Look at your shoulders and see who you are lifting up.

Interestingly cathedrals were built to call us to look up, out and beyond to these very questions. As well the foundational call to look within. 

‘The unexamined life is not worth living[3]’

[1] Published in his book of Essays The Weight Of Glory Eerdmans 1965

[2] https://www.kirstymaynor.com/blog/our-deepest-fear-by-marianne-williamson

[3] Socrates, but recorded by Plato