Mary Maclean: What is Seen, What is Shown


Small exhibition at the Royal Academy of photographs by Mary Maclean who died last year. 

There were two sets of pictures both looking at art education. The first set focused on small features of art schools and colleges such as a corner of a lecture hall or a white board. According to the commentary she saw these spaces as being used by generations of students who leave a sense of their presence even once they have gone and yet she also saw these as generic anonymous space.

The second set showed architectural casts which were discovered behind plaster board when the Royal Academy was refurbished. These were used in drawing exercises and she treats them in a similar way but photographically. I loved these pictures which had a sense of their dilapidated state and I liked that they included the plaster board structure which had covered them.

Closes on 20 February 2019.

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