Linda Bell’s Exhibition at the Tate Modern
Back in April, Linda Bell, who we support in London, celebrated an astounding break-through in her art career where she held an exhibition at the world-famous Tate Modern!
Linda is a talented, and now internationally-recognised artist, who, for the last 27 years, has developed her art pieces at the art centre, ActionSpace, in London.
Reflecting on how far Linda has come with her journey with art, Charlotte, Head of Artist Development at ActionSpace, said: “I’ve worked with Linda since 1999. Her practice has gradually evolved and her art has become much richer and deeper over the years.”
No one in the world makes artwork like Linda. She enjoys bending, twisting, and shaping materials to form unique designs. In the early stages of her art journey, she began forming shapes from materials, stapling to secure them and then attaching them onto huge canvases. The desire to move those shapes carried on. Over time, she found a passion for not only creating and securing shapes but making these sculptures into something that could be worn, torn, swung, tousled, and moved around.
“Linda is so careful with assembling the pieces but once they are ready for display, she shares them with people to be activated and played with. This makes the work so sensory and fun which is the total opposite of what you’re told about museums, that you cannot touch things or engage with the art in a normal way. It goes against the idea that artwork is something that should be observed. Instead, Linda teaches us that artwork is something to enjoy and fully immerse yourself in – to touch, feel and interact with,” said Charlotte.
The Tate Modern exhibition ran from March 31st-April 7th and was titled ‘Linda Bell: Loop Swing. Shake. Remake.’ On the day of opening, Linda’s Brother, Raymond, said: “I’m very proud of Linda and everything that she does. Seeing the public admiring her work is just amazing. Linda communicates non-verbally and has a hearing impairment, and so I do believe that through her art, she watches and engages with other people and it makes everyone happy. That’s what it’s all about really. She loves this line of work.”
Service Manager Abi, said: “Linda’s artwork is so fascinating and truly beautiful. It is such a privilege to see Linda’s incredible artwork and know that the Tate personally reached out to work with her. It is so important that she is taken seriously as an artist. The art world is becoming more accessible and inclusive, which is necessary. I believe she will go far.”
Since then, Linda has had a jam-packed calendar as her career has really taken off. She attended the opening of her exhibition at the Lovay Fine Arts in Geneva, Switzerland, where her sculptural work was acquired by the Geneva State Collection (FCAC). This is the first time Linda’s work has been bought by a major institution. The plans have not stopped there as she is due to exhibit at the Royal College of Art later this year!
Linda is paving the way for more inclusivity in the art world. Linda has empowered other learning-disabled artists to challenge and break down barriers into the art world. Charlotte said: “For years, she has been doing workshops with children in special education and supporting them to get creative. Not only is she making amazing work but she is also a real role model.”
To showcase this monumental moment, we have made a documentary about Linda’s journey to The Tate which you can watch on Youtube using the link here: Journey to The Tate Modern: Linda’s Story
