To view the full film, please visit Sotheby's London galleries from 28 May–15 June.
“We want to connect the layers of history in new ways at Sotheby’s, bringing the past into the present. Our work is about revealing the emotion in objects and spaces, often in unexpected ways. We hope to create welcoming, inclusive environments, and engage with new audiences.”
To create AD2022, Zev Magasis made his first visit to the UK, and was drawn to how its people connect and interact. The film alludes to raw and fractured emotion, its scenes layered as if sampled, in Magasis’ unique signature visual language. To score the film, Clarke & Reilly identified connections with the work of British musician and producer James Lavelle. The resulting piece has echoes of both synergy and juxtaposition, an attempt to encapsulate the essence of Britain today.
Clarke & Reilly at Sotheby’s for the Platinum Jubilee
Clarke & Reilly have also collaborated with Sotheby’s to create environments within our London galleries. As is typical of their creative and collaborative style of working, they have engaged with young artistic talent from a variety of disciplines, offering a bridge between the past and the future of British creativity.
Their backdrop for the galleries was inspired by a portrait of the Queen by Cecil Beaton. Fine artist Edward Kay took inspiration from the oak leaf found on the monarch’s surcoat, as well as the wash of the backdrop. Kay’s work was then blown up and played with, before being handed to street artist David Samuel, who airbrushed the resulting images onto the gallery walls. These actions, along with other creative interventions, inspire fresh ways in which to view rarely seen precious objects on loan, including aristocratic tiaras and portraits of each of the seven queens regnant of Britain.
Clarke & Reilly also feature in the galleries with their own pieces, such as an 18th-century English chair, stripped back to its raw state then rebuilt with layers of textiles. The fabrics, spanning centuries, reflect the layers of history in the exhibition. A period mirror has been similarly stripped, then wrapped in cloth, hiding its reflection to the outside world.
