Lubaina Himid : The Grab Test / Marianna Simnett: My Broken Animal

Normal is different, the ordinary not good enough
From November 16, the Frans Hals Museum’s Hal building will present solo exhibitions by Lubaina Himid and Marianna Simnett, two leading British artists from different generations. A diptych, in which, each in their own inimitable way, invite visitors to contemplate the Western cultural canon and the corporeal in a world dominated by technology. Lubaina Himid was the first black female winner of the Turner Prize, the UK’s most prestigious contemporary art award. Director Ann Demeester: “Both artists produce work that is visually powerful and simultaneously poses (at times, uncomfortable) questions about power, colonialism, corporeality and technology.” The Frans Hals Museum presentation is Simnett and Himid’s first solo exhibition in the Netherlands. Both artists have composed new work for these exhibitions.

Lubaina Himid: The Grab Test
Lubaina Himid’s work revolves around the representation of all that’s considered unimportant: ignored, marginalised or preferably unseen. It is from this critical perspective that she examines the western cultural canon. She uses her vibrant, poetic paintings, painted objects and textiles to conceive an alternative narrative, to represent those who were often invisible to art history and the mass media, and she makes deliberate (historical) oversights. Himid focuses on everyday forms of creativity—such as industry and (female) domestic work—which are often considered less important than the traditionally masculine, professional, high art expressions.

A selection of Himid’s existing work will be on show in The Grab Test exhibition in the museum’s Hal building. The works invariably touch on the “textile” theme and flaunt her love for colour, embellishment and pattern. Himid is convinced that fabrics and textiles convey messages that we absorb from childhood. And she actively draws attention to the invisible makers behind the showpieces of our Western, colonial culture.

Special creation for The Vleeshal and Hof
Following the fall of Antwerp in 1585, and partly due to the influence of specialised textile workers from the Southern Netherlands, 17th-century Haarlem evolved into the weaving centre for the precious damask fabric. The Frans Hals museum boasts a beautiful damask collection which the Hof will, for the first time in a long while, display in a presentation and selection chosen by Lubaina Himid. Himid pored over the motifs depicted on the damasks, which typically symbolise expressions of power display and prestige. They inspired her to paint a large section of fabric that will adorn the monumental Vleeshal on the Grote Markt. This work, which was specially commissioned by the museum, will be draped around the hall’s stone pillars and displayed in such a way that the paintings are readily visible.

Marianna Simnett: My Broken Animal
In 2015, Marianna Simnett won the coveted Jerwood/FVU award and, in 2017, was shortlisted for the Jarman Award. Her work has been exhibited at the Serpentine Galleries in London, Copenhagen Contemporary and the New Museum in New York. In her videos, Simnett narrates provocative, modern folktales for the 21st century—folktales that often convey the impression of cruelty and question prevailing morals. Female protagonists play the leading role in her films and performances, and demand a new approach to corporeality, one that goes beyond traditional gender representations. Their bodies are transformed using the latest technology.
 

In the My Broken Animal exhibition, two films feature prominently in addition to the haunting Faint With Light installation from 2016; The Needle and the Larnyx (2016) and The Bird Game (2019). Marianna Simnett specifically produced the latter for the Frans Hals Museum presentation. The museum co-produced this film with the Rothschild Foundation and the Film and Video Umbrella in London. The museum has invested in the production and has also purchased an edition of the work. My Broken Animal additionally incorporates twonew sculptural works which Simnett created specially for the Frans Hals Museum exhibition.