Swimming-themed art provides a revitalizing experience
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In the realm of art, swimming has long been a captivating subject, with artists from various eras and styles finding inspiration in the human form immersed in water or aquatic environments. This year, a significant number of exhibitions are focusing on our relationship with water, providing a fascinating context for the broader art world.
Tarka Kings, a dedicated swimmer at the lido for five years, regardless of the weather conditions, is one of the artists delving into the "strange and sacred" effects of bathing. Her artwork, titled "Mornings at the Lido," will be showcased at Offer Waterman starting from late September. Kings' pencil lingers over the textures of towels and the blue-black sheen of dripping hair, focusing on the transitional moments of shedding clothes, entering the water, and returning post-immersion.
Evie O'Connor, on the other hand, offers a contrasting perspective. Her paintings focus on private pools as a backdrop to life rather than a space for indulgence. The artwork antithesises the style of Leon Kossoff, who repeatedly painted the same children's swimming pool in Willesden in the early 1970s. The resulting images from Kossoff's artwork are jubilant, depicting the pool as a space of collective enjoyment.
Swimming has been a popular subject for artists throughout history, with notable examples including Seurat's bathers, Matisse's blue cutouts, and David Hockney's pool paintings. This tradition continues today, with artists such as Sabina Fenn, Kat Mugg, Leo Jones, and William Glackens, among others, creating vibrant and evocative pieces that capture the essence of swimming.
Fenn's underwater paintings and prints of women swimming are a testament to her dreamy style, while Mugg's oil landscapes sometimes include oceanic or water-related themes. Jones, on the other hand, explores ocean themes through wood carving and sculptural art, representing the ocean in innovative textured formats.
Artistic works themed on swimming and coastal scenes are frequently available on platforms like Etsy, where artists sell original and printed works highlighting swimming figures, underwater scenes, and coastal life in various styles. Specialized galleries and summer-themed exhibitions also showcase oil and mixed-media coastal and swimming-related art.
In addition to these, the Design Museum's exhibition, "Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style," is on until 17 August. This exhibition looks at the evolution of swimming design from the 1920s to the present day. Roni Horn's artwork, titled "Water, Water On the Wall, You're the Fairest of Them All," is opening at MCA Denver from mid-September. Kate Gottgens' artwork, titled "The Blue of Distance," is currently on display at Huxley-Parlour.
Marvel Harris' self-portrait, "First Swim After Rebirth," is on show in the V&A's "Design and Disability" exhibition. The artwork consists of a series of drawings featuring a woman getting changed at the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park. Noah Davis' artwork, shown at the Barbican, features an imagined community of swimmers. Modupeola Fadugba's artwork, to be shown at the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, explores swimming as a skill.
These examples illustrate a broad artistic interest in swimming, both in traditional fine art and contemporary decorative formats, featured in gallery exhibitions and online art marketplaces. Whether it's the transformative power of swimming, the mundane magic of the swimming experience, or the simple joy of being in the water, artists continue to find inspiration in this timeless activity.
- The Design Museum's exhibition, "Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style," discusses not only the evolution of swimming but also the fashion and beauty associated with it, given the focus on swimwear and stylish poolside attire over the last century.
- Modupeola Fadugba's artwork, to be shown at the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, will investigate not only swimming as a skill but also the sports aspect of swimming, delving into the competitive spirit and physical endurance required for this aquatic activity.
