Camille Walala interview: "I think everybody should express themselves"

Plus: VR at the V&A, and this newsletter is 2!

Sep 25, 2020

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It’s exactly 2 years since I pressed send on my very first maxwell museums newsletter. Some of you have been here since the very beginning, and so I send a massive THANK YOU. To those who have joined in the intervening 104 weeks, I’m hugely grateful and hope you enjoy what you read.

What was the museum news back on 25 Sept 2018? Well, Tate announced it would collaborate with Steve McQueen on a project with London’s school children that became his Year 3 work; 27,000 people visited the new V&A Dundee in its first 7 days, and the Independent called that year’s Turner Prize “miserable, tedious, poker-faced.”

To mark this 2nd birthday, I’m making some small changes. I currently alternate each week between sending you a full newsletter (with news and features like this one), and a shorter Friday briefing with the top news stories from the past 7 days. The Friday briefing will now be weekly, ensuring you’re kept more up to date with the news you need to know. The features from the full newsletter, such as the interview and what’s on, will now be rebranded into a standalone edition - the maxwell museums magazine - and will be sent every 2 weeks on a Tuesday. These changes will make maxwell museums more digestible, distinct, and regular.

For now, let’s dive in - and I’m SO excited to say that this week I’ve interviewed one of my favourite artists: Camille Walala! So read on

latest news

Curiouser and Curiouser. London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is hosting its first ever virtual reality event, which will preview their postponed Alice in Wonderland exhibition. No, I’m not entirely sure what the event is either. Evening Standard

Gallery Axed. What the V&A is definitely NOT doing though, is its co-curated gallery with the Smithsonian Institution in East London. Blooloop

In other scrapped-museum-projects news. A museum dedicated to Pablo Picasso and his second wife Jacqueline Roque in the South of France — which would have held the largest collection of his works in the world— nhas been abandoned. The Art Newspaper

One more for (bad) luck. Plans for the world’s largest photography venue in London have been scrapped. The Art Newspaper

It’s not all bad news. A new £47 million arts and heritage complex for the city of Plymouth - called The Box - has been unveiled. BBC News

Still from Curious Alice, a VR experience created by the V&A and HTC Vive Arts.

Tap tap tap in. Italy's Uffizi Gallery claims joining TikTok has doubled its number of young visitors. Now, I love TikTok (yes you can find me there at @maxwellmuseums, thanks for asking), but the maths on this is a bit back-of-a-fag-packet territory. The Art Newspaper

"Transformative” gift. The first publicly owned Rembrandt artworks in Northern Ireland go on display at the Ulster Museum today. The Irish News

Gift from 1873. A 150-year-old Victorian time capsule has been discovered buried in a wall in Manchester Jewish Museum. The Guardian

Vanished. Banksy’s Gorilla in a pink mask has been displayed on a street in the artist’s home city of Bristol for the past 20 years. Now it’s mysteriously disappeared. metro.co.uk

interview

Camille Walala is one of my favourite artists. Her bold and blazing interventions have brightened up our buildings, and our Instagrams. Her latest project goes even further - she’s transformed A WHOLE STREET. The newly-dubbed Walala Parade in East London was Camille’s first community-funded project, and it was designed in collaboration with local residents. It’s brilliant. It unleashes an explosion of colour, creativity and joy on an otherwise unremarkable parade of shops. I spoke to her this week to find out more.

Walala Parade. Photography by Tim Crooker. Walala Parade commissioned by Wood Street Walls.

Congratulations on Walala Parade. What drew you to this project?

I was happy to work with something so local and community based. I love how art can reach out and connect people. Walala Parade for me was all about the people coming together to change their neighbourhood and area. They really love Leyton and felt my colour and pattern helped express that. It was also a big challenge, which I liked. There were many competing architectural details on the facade and shop fronts – I love to work with architecture and structure!

How different was it working on something that was crowdfunded?

I must admit I was nervous! The project depended on people contributing to make it happen. It was really overwhelming to see the support from people as it happened especially during such a crisis moment with the pandemic. People wanted to make a change and be part of something. I am very grateful for this direct feedback from social media and everything. It meant so much to see people having our back on this project.

Do you think this will become a new London landmark?

I am very cautious about this question of the “landmark”. If that’s all it was about, I don’t think I would be interested. But when I first started sharing art years ago I was very inspired by the comments people would make while I was painting. And already in Leyton I see people taking photos and tagging me, and others are going down there to see it. It’s getting everyone really excited to come and visit – that is what excites me. The people are the landmark!

You’ve created pedestrian crossings, benches, building facades. What else in the public space would you love to transform?

There are so many dream projects I imagine. I think in Britain there is such an interesting architectural history of housing estates here, that is something I would be excited about. But also, how about a museum? There are many beautiful ones here. The British Museum? Tate Modern? Barbican, definitely! It would be a dream to work with an architect and do something incredible with these buildings.

The pandemic is having a huge affect on the creative industries. Are you worried for the future for young artists and designers?

Yes, I do worry about this. It has always been a hard time for the museums and galleries and artists but now the pandemic is making things much tougher. I would like to see more supports for people to get through this tough time, especially young people and artists who are beginning their careers. But also for the future after right now, I think we need to take art more seriously. We need colour and creativity in our lives!

You’ve said in the past that colour makes people happy. How can people bring more colour into their lives in these strange times?

I think everybody should express themselves. I like to wear bright, bold clothes. You can paint and draw in a sketchbook… just little things to play every day is good. Make a mural in your house… you can always just paint it white again, so no pressure! People shouldn’t be scared of colour! I loved Grayson Perry’s TV show, his message to encourage people to make art was exactly what I like to see. It’s important to find time for creativity in your life and personal space.

what’s on

3 of the best new shows from around the globe.

Artemisia at the National Gallery, London - one of 2020’s most hotly-anticipated exhibitions, the first major UK show of the pioneering artist. Opens 3 October
German Revolution Expressionist prints at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool - powerful prints by some of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Opens 2 October
Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures at URBAN NATION, Berlin - an extensive retrospective of the American photojournalist famed for her street photography. Opens 2 October

and finally

It was suggested at the weekend that the Royal Academy should sell-off it’s one Michelangelo sculpture to try to prevent 140 job losses. The Telegraph’s Chief Art Critic explains that while tempting, seemingly ‘simple’ solutions are anything but.

The UK’s first ever major exhibition on the history of Tantra opened this week at the British Museum. But what is Tantra - is there more to it than marathon sex and massages? The Guardian found out.