Very Private?

Thought provoking exhibition at Charleston Farmhouse introducing the recently discovered erotic drawings by Duncan Grant.

It was lovely to see these drawings on show at last, they were acquired during lockdown having been passed down through the queer community including during the time when sex between men was still illegal. It was a lovely touch to show them with portraits of the five men who had looked after them. It’s wonderful that they have now come back home to Charleston.

Although many of them are explicit because they are so tenderly drawn and have a certain cartoon like quality, they are easy to look at and quite charming. I liked the idea of showing the work with contemporary responses that Charleston have commissioned but some of these feel a lot harsher and real and so, at times, they are more difficult to look at.

The show did raise many questions in my mind which I will continue to explore. Why explicit art in a drawing and photograph can feel so different? What do I think of showing explicit art in a public gallery regardless of its orientation? How does art designed to be passed around change when put up on a wall in a frame? I don’t have answers but I’ll keep asking myself and I’ll definitely be back to see the show again and keep thinking.

Closes 12 March 2023

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