Radical Empathy

Interesting exhibition at the Foundling Museum of staged photographs by Akytom with words from poems by Yomi Sode.

The works explore the idea of radical empathy, and I quote from the commentary ” a concept developed by Terri Givens, Professor of Political Science at McGill University, is more active than sympathy. It involves working to understand not just the experiences and views of others, but the origins of our own biases, in order to turn understanding into practical action for change to promote social and racial justice.”

I understood this idea more when I realised the photographs were based on Caravaggio paintings using similar lighting techniques. It played on the idea that in his day the artist was seen as a murder but over time we have had more empathy for him and he is now viewed as “a man of his time” quoted in a poem by Sode.

Whatever they meant the photographs were monumental and as moving as Caravaggio’s paintings.

Closed 15 January 2023