"Unofficial war artist" Peter Kennard exhibits in aid of torture victims
An exhibition of work by "unofficial war artist" Peter Kennard on behalf of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture opens at the Royal College of Art in London next month.
Reading Room is an installation of 21 portraits drawn on newsprint, in which the compelling gaze of each individual emerges to challenge the viewer from a bleak, remorseless background of facts and figures.
Arranged in the dark, with each piece individually lit, Reading Room is tough art, beautifully rendered, which points to the fragility, but resilience, of the individual in the face of events he or she seems powerless to shape or change.
The Medical Foundation has always worked with the notion of "art at the service of humanity" - indeed art therapy has a valuable part to play in the treatment of some torture survivors - and Peter Kennard's work, which is known for its examination of the human condition, inspires hope for change.
The exhibition will be opened at 6.30pm on October 12 in the college's Henry Moore Gallery by Medical Foundation patron Helena Kennedy QC. Helen Bamber, founder/director of the Medical Foundation, will also speak.
Peter Kennard's book "Dispatches of an Unofficial War Artist" will be launched at the same time, with signed copies on sale, and a proportion of the proceeds going to the Medical Foundation. A limited edition silver print of one of the images from Reading Room will also be on sale, with all proceeds going to the Medical Foundation.
A series of events - free, but booking is essential and donations will be requested - will also take place during the exhibition, which lasts until October 23.
On Tuesday October 17th at 7pm there will be a poetry performance called Human Writing featuring Adrian Mitchell, Jean "Binta" Breeze and John Hegley. On Wednesday October 18 at 7pm Beatrice Clarke of the Medical Foundation will question what kind of witness literature bears in a talk entitled The Torturer's Horse, and on Monday October 23 at 7pm there will be an art auction on behalf of the Medical Foundation featuring work by some of Britain's leading artists, including Anthony Gormley, Richard Hamilton, Cathy de Monchaux Paula Rego (who has created a special pastel piece entitled Domestic Punishments after a conversation with Helen Bamber) Bridget Riley and Ralph Steadman.
Works for the auction will be exhibited in the Henry Moore Gallery on Saturday October 21, Sunday October 22, and Monday October 23.
Event bookings, and requests for auction catalogue, to Jan Woolf at the Medical Foundation on 0207 813 3100 or e mail: janw@torturecare.org.uk
The Medical Foundation, a registered charity, is the only organisation in Britain dedicated to working with those who have suffered torture and organised violence. In the 15 years since it was established it has helped more than 20,000 victims and survivors at its north London treatment centre.
Demand for its services is such that earlier this year the Medical Foundation launched a £4.7m "Under One Roof" building appeal for new premises. President of the appeal is former Beirut hostage John McCarthy, a patron of the Medical Foundation.