Francesca Woodman: Life in Motion

If there’s any way you can get to Tate Liverpool before 23rd Sept to see the superb collection of photographs by the wonderful Francesca Woodman which are currently on display, please do!

Her life in photography lasted only about 9 years, between the ages of 13 and 22. Sadly, she took her own life in 1981, but the body of work that she left behind has, rightly, grown in recognition and acclaim since then and absolutely deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. Her beautiful portraits, very often of herself, have a lot to say about the female body and the female gaze, and couldn’t be more relevant in 2018.

At the Tate exhibition, she’s been paired with another artist who died in their 20s and who, like Woodman, was fascinated by the human body - and who also produced many self portraits - Egon Schiele. It’s certainly well worth the opportunity to see his work, up close and personal, but, for me, the show is all about the photography of Francesca Woodman!

www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/life-motion-egon-schiele-francesca-woodman

Here are a selection of postcards of prints on display in the exhibition (WhiskyFoxtrot will recognise these drawers!)

Today’s tune is This Mortal Coil’s rendition of Tim Buckley’s, ‘Song to the Siren’. It was released 2 years after Francesca Woodman’s death but I think it conjures up something of the spirit of her life and work https://youtube.com/watch?v=HFWKJ2FUiAQ