19/08/15
Facing History: Contemporary
Portraiture
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
27 July 2015 – 24 April 2016
At first glance, the 34 silhouettes
are identical reproductions; look a little closer, however, and there are
minute differences – hairstyle, direction of gaze, the fall of the light across
the woman’s shoulder. This series of portrait miniatures, Made Up Love Song
(2011), portraying V&A visitor services assistant Sophia, is the work of
the V&A’s 2011 photography artist-in-residence, Bettina von Zwehl (b1971),
and its acquisition sparked the idea for this tightly curated, artistically and
politically astute display, Facing History: Contemporary Portraiture, which
comprises about 80 prints and photographs, drawn from the V&A’s collection,
spanning the past 20 years.
