Surrealism: Beyond Borders

Tate Modern

24 FEBRUARY – 29 AUGUST 2022

£18.00

Surrealism was a revolutionary cultural movement that took inspiration from the unconscious and dream-like states to influence different art forms and unite artists. It was thought to have began in Paris around 1924, but this exhibition shines a light on Surrealism as a global movement and how different countries and cultures understood and adapted it to suit their vision and values. Surrealism at heart is a political movement, and many of the works in the exhibition have strong social commentary. Surrealism becomes prevalent in times of struggle, such as conflict and revolution - it is therefore no more relevant than today when we, as human beings, have just come out of a two-year pandemic and now face the threat of another world war.

The exhibition has a great range of works, with some famous pieces and some less known from around the globe. The first is a painting of an incredibly realistic wardrobe by Marcel Jean - complete with real keyholes and hinges hidden within to further confuse the viewer. The doors appear to jump out of the image and behind the doors lies a portal to a bright, luscious world. It makes you think of the wonders and splendour of Narnia - a famous portal to a surrealist world of possibility. Some of the more noteworthy and familiar pieces here include Picasso’s The Three Dancers and Salvador Dali’s Lobster Telephone. Surrealist sculptures are often made with unconventional or discarded materials which have been assembled together in a imaginative and original way. Dali himself describes surrealist objects as “absolutely useless from a practical and rational point of view”.

The uncanny is a theme that runs through surrealism - as it is a subversion of oddity and disconcerting apprehension in the everyday. Take Toshikos collages - the one seen above being created in post-war Japan, reflecting the flooding of foreign commodities after wartime rationing. However, the most haunting images in the exhibition are by far the ones that appear somewhat realistic - save for a gruesome detail. Such as Fini’s overgrown building, burned out and ashen with what looks like a part cat part child sitting amongst its ruins, overlooked by a hanging lung.

Ngwenya’s painting was created during the Mozambique movement for independence from Russia. It’s a colourful explosion of almost quit sweet looking monsters - the types you’d imagine children coin up in their head, convinced they live under the bed once the lights are turned off. The characters here overlap and merge into one cognisant whole - symbolising the collective effort and desire for freedom. More war imagery, this time from Japan is a perfect example of the gift that keeps on giving. The disturbing work below grows more horrific the more you look at it. Shadows are invaded by screams, soft patterns become the bones of the fallen. Round edges seep into human organ like shapes, and it isn’t long before you realise every animal and human on this canvas is dead, save for a small red butterfly of hope on the far right hand side (a potential nod to communism).

Surrealism sometimes finds home in the modern day through science fiction and obscure visions of the future. Think the hybrid human-creature world of Stranger Things, or the no mans land setting of blockbuster Dune. This is seen in the exhibition through Frances del Valle’s Warrior and Sphinx: an oddly sexualised, otherworldly scene on a backdrop of angular shapes and a barren, lifeless world. This work is said to contain feminist symbols, with del Valle describing herself and her counterparts as “lizards in a place where people found them repellent”. The work is equally enthralling as it is disturbing, showing a creature on the fringes of society once society no longer exists.

Overall, the exhibition had a great spread and breadth of the surrealist movement. It did an excellent job of showing the global reach: moving far from French borders. As is the case with large retrospectives, there were some amazing pieces and quite a few forgettable ones too. However, I would recommend the exhibition to anyone who wants to get out of their head for a few hours, whether they are familiar with Surrealism already or not. Given the variety of styles and mediums, there will be someone here that captures and haunts each an every one of us far beyond the galleries four walls.

OVERALL RATING: ****

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/surrealism-beyond-borders